


Mercy

by ChronosAbyss



Series: Mercy [1]
Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Redemption, short torture scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 41,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27429223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChronosAbyss/pseuds/ChronosAbyss
Summary: Following the events of the episode 'Rock Bottom', Starscream must pay for his treacherous actions against Megatron. But he soon learns that perhaps it is the Autobots who are the only ones who are willing to grant him one last chance. Just how far is he willing to be pushed before showing both Autobots and Decepticons his true colors? Rated T for mild violence.
Series: Mercy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2003950
Comments: 19
Kudos: 41





	1. Mercy

**Author's Note:**

> (Cross-posted from Fanfiction.net. This work was started in 2011 and completed in 2013 with an editing pass done in 2020. Thanks for stopping by!)

Mercy. That was hardly the word for what was going to transpire upon his return to the Nemesis. Starscream flew as slowly as he dared, trying to put as much time between him and his fate as possible. He knew however that if he were to veer even for a moment from his path, Megatron would be upon him within a matter of minutes. At least in that case it would be he who was the master of his own demise rather than to lay himself at the feet of that tyrant. But no, he had pleaded, begged even, for this chance. Probably the last one he would ever be given.

Starscream cursed inwardly. Stellar cycles of careful planning with nothing to gain but failure after failure. He had been wrong to pin the fool on Megatron. Just one more of the lies that he had told himself. _'Megatron is weak,'_ he had said. _'He's losing his touch with reality.'_ He’d come up with dozens of reasons that he, Starscream, should be the leader. He would use Megatron's own weaknesses against him and usurp his rule, by force if necessary

Fraggin' stupid. It had all been too bold, too obvious now that he looked back on it. And to think that he even called himself a Decepticon. Megatron and that accursed Soundwave had seen right through his façade with ease. In the three years Megatron was absent, Starscream had forgotten just how suspicious he could be. And like Starscream himself, he didn't take kindly to others questioning his authority. Yes, he'd be lucky to escape with his wings intact this time.

Coming up on the Nemesis, Starscream transformed and landed heavily on a small ledge near the hatch leading inside. His limbs still ached from the strain of holding up that boulder in the energon mine, and what he wouldn't do for a nice long recharge. However, Megatron was surely expecting him on the bridge and it would not be to any advantage to keep him waiting. Steeling himself for the worst, Starscream entered.

Megatron stood with his back to him, editing a data entry on the ship's computer. Starscream waited for a minute in the silence, with nothing but the staccato taps of Megatron's deadly claws on the keypad until he could take no more of it. He made a small throat clearing sound to garner his attention. Megatron turned and glared at the noise. If looks could kill…

"Starscream, I didn't hear you enter." His words dripped with sarcasm as he finished his task with a push of a button.

"Ah, well… you were engrossed in your work I'm sure." He replied hastily. "And you know seekers, always light on our feet." He added with an anxious grin, knowing full well it would bring him nothing.

"Kneel." It was a simple command, yet there was no option of denying it. Starscream obeyed without hesitation before the looming Decepticon leader. A jolt ran through the sensory wires of his wings and they folded together almost subconsciously, all too familiar with burn of his master's fusion cannon.

"Megatron, I don't-"

"Shut up, Starscream." He walked over to where he could tower even further over the seeker and fixed him with a hard stare. "Tell me why you should still be down in that mine; what should have been your final resting place beneath a mountain of stone. Why is it that I should exterminate your spark right here and now?" His voice was low and quiet, always a bad sign, as he moved to stand behind Starscream. He felt a servo come to rest on his left wing, almost as a friend would place a comforting hand on one's shoulder. The act sent shivers down the seeker's spine.

"I-I don't know." _As if he was going to condemn himself_. He stared intently at the ground in front of him.

"Be serious here, Starscream." Megatron administered a small squeeze to his wing.

"I- hoarded energon for my own purposes."

"Try again." The hand tightened.

Starscream's optics darted around the floor, as if trying to find the answer within the patterns of metal. "I tried to raise the perfect soldier behind your back with a stolen shard of Dark Energon."

Sharp talons pierced metal plating causing him to grit his teeth, but he refused to flinch, aiming to deny Megatron of any sense of pleasure he might get from torturing him.

"I abandoned you in the mines and at the spacebridge. I directly disobeyed half your orders. I did everything in my power to terminate you." He could feel the fuselage of his wing crumpling and his internal HUD flashed a brief damage report.

"Wrong." Megatron clenched his hand around the fistful of wing and ripped it back, finally earning an involuntary cry of pain from Starscream. Throwing down the scraps of metal, Megatron shoved him to the ground with his foot. A small trail of energon trickled from the hole before his auto-repair systems could begin to stem the leak. "You're a coward, Starscream. You scheme behind my back and boast of it to my subordinates. Yet you accomplish nothing. Your treachery is something that I have always dealt with. But once your actions ebb into the realm of incompetence, the games you play cease to amuse me."

"What are you going to do?"

Megatron regarded him with steely eyes for a moment, as if running through a mental list of all the consequences his traitorous second in command deserved before seeming to settle on the perfect one. "Return to your quarters for the time being. I'm finished with you." Megatron turned and walked out of the room.

Starscream waited, half expecting the door to open again for the real punishment to begin. About a cycle passed before he figured it was safe to breathe again. He pushed himself up off the floor.

"Is that it? Surely Megatron must have some other form of judgment in store…" he mused. "Not that I'm complaining." He brought a servo up to the gash in his wing to take stock of the damage. It wasn't too serious. He would have to go see Knockout about a patch though. This was nothing compared to some of his past beatings, the most recent being in lieu of Megatron's reawakening. Funny, how the only times he seemed to find himself in the medical bay recently was to repair damage dealt by his own faction…

Later, Starscream paced his quarters relentlessly, his heels punctuating the air with sharp rhythmic taps. The silence was oppressive. He couldn't stand it any longer. If Megatron was planning on driving him crazy with the near lack of consequences, it was working. There were no missions to attend to at the moment. No new drones to inspect. Nothing to do but think. And Megatron knew that. Was he supposed to sit here and feel bad about everything he’d done? The only places his mind was wandering to were ways to get back on top.

Either he's stupider than he thought or Starscream had to take advantage of this brief reprieve

At the same time he couldn't forget the virtues of subtlety, something that tended to slip his mind from time to time.

He shrugged his wing joint a bit to test the repairs that Knockout had done. The good doctor hadn’t taken the hint that he wasn’t up for conversation. He always seemed to enjoy heckling Starscream about his frequent injuries almost as much as he loved polishing his own paintjob. The patch seemed to be in order however, though it would be several solar cycles until his auto-repair systems could get to healing the gouge completely. He'd had worse for much more trivial mistakes.

"Hrm." He pressed a palm to his processor. He was in deep this time, no doubt. Who knew what Megatron had up his metaphorical sleeve? Starscream was pretty sure his leader was at least half mad, which made him hard to predict at times. Always going on about destiny and whatnot.

 _Predictable? Pah_! _So he wants to see what I'll do under the silent treatment? Fine. Let's give him a show then…_

Starscream exited into the hallway, prepared to make a beeline for the bridge. Despite his recent setbacks, or rather because of them, he would probably need to reaffirm his position to Megatron as his second in command. A position that regardless of what many other Decepticons would think, took great pains to maintain. His legs carried him along the familiar path as he mused, and he soon found himself outside the bridge door. He hesitated. Not a megacycle after he'd been told to return to his quarters he was already defying orders. If Megatron were to suddenly have a change of spark and finally decide finish the job of terminating him… He was not yet ready to join the well of All-Sparks just yet. As he faltered, he sensed the presence of someone watching him from close behind, and he whipped around to face his assailant.

"Soundwave!" For sparks sake, that bot was as quiet in motion as in speech. Overcoming his initial surprise, Starscream couldn't help a slight look of distain from crossing his face at the sight of the one who ratted him out about the fudged mining details.

"I suppose you're happy that all your constant spying has finally gleaned some results with our leader." He paused for a moment in search of any reaction to this statement, but as usual not even the slightest bob of the head betrayed any emotion behind that blank faceplate. "Mum as ever I see. Not that I expected any different. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go see Megatron."

He was about to sidestep the faceless communications bot when a thought crossed his mind. Going to Megatron is exactly what would be anticipated of him, to make amends for his most recent blunders. There was something else however, that Megatron would never expect him to do. Something that would be made even better when relayed through the ever-loyal Soundwave.

"Soundwave, wait. Before you go, there’s something I wish to depart upon you. This is a bit difficult for me to admit, but in light of the past few days…" He hesitated a moment, figuring where best to start. "I've been a fool. Made mistakes. Monumental ones. I now realize I was never destined to be a leader, or even an equal partner. And, I am at peace with that. I have gained a clear understanding of my place in the universe. Of who I am. Of who I was always meant to be. Starscream: second in command, humble servant to Lord Megatron.”

“Thank you for listening, Soundwave."


	2. Partners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Several scenes from the episode ‘Partners’ are featured in this chapter as that is the true jumping point of the story. I abridged what I could to avoid directly copying the episode, but after this chapter we’re going down a completely separate path from the show.

"This is not funny, Airachnid. Come back here this instant and cut me loose. Airachnid, that is an order! I am your commanding officer! I'll have you tried for treason for this!" Starscream shouted from his cocooned state on the floor.

He seethed, wriggling against the tight webbing. This was unbelievable! Megatron had him leading that presumptuous arachnid as if she were some sort of exalted guest, and this is how he was repaid? He could have easily retrieved the experimental weapon himself. This crashed ship was _his_ big find. He’d worked too hard to locate it to allow her to waltz in and present its cargo to Megatron on a silver platter.

Suddenly Starscream heard blaster fire and the spider-bot scuttled back around the corner with a group of Autobots in hot pursuit.

"Airachnid, you traitor!" He yelled at her as she ran past without so much as a second glance at him, intent on making a fast escape by drilling through the dirt wall at the dead end of the corridor. A smart move overall, seeing as the majority of the Autobots were too large to follow. The small blue femme, however didn't even hesitate as she flung herself into the tunnel after her quarry. Starscream noticed that this was much at the expense of Optimus Prime's concern, and the Autobot leader quickly retreated back towards the main entrance. Airachnid would get away of course. Having a flighted vehicle mode made it near impossible for any Autobot to catch you. That is, if you were free to use it.

"Now what do we have here?" A large voice resounded from above, accompanied by an equally large pede that suddenly dominated his vision. Starscream craned his head to look up at the two Autobots that flanked him. The yellow one responded with a flurry of basic beeping tones that he didn't bother to interpret.

He recognized both of them from the various skirmishes between factions. Though the big one, (Bulkhead was it?) he still seemed more than a little ticked about their most recent encounter in the mines. _Slag_. Airachnid was really going to pay for leaving him here once he got his claws on her.

"I should scrap you right now for what you tried to do to Miko." Bulkhead pressed his blaster against the side of Starscream's head. "You should count yourself lucky I'm not that kind of bot. Though, I think I know someone who'll know what to do with you." Bulkhead retracted his blaster back into his arm and scooped him up with ease.

"Unhand me, Autobot scum!" Starscream wriggled around futilely in Airachnid's spider silk cocoon. _This was all her fault._

"Stop struggling. You're not going anywhere." His captor commanded and he jostled his cargo to a more comfortable over the shoulder position. The yellow bot followed close behind, blaster at the ready in case their captive somehow managed to get free. As if he had any means of escape in the first place.

The trio backtracked out through the small entrance Starscream had dug years earlier when he had first found the downed vessel. He had always intended on returning for its data banks and cargo once he figured out how to dampen the signal from Autobot scanners, but had never gotten around to it.

He felt himself being lifted once again and stumbled to the ground as Bulkhead shoved him unceremoniously at the feet of the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime. And though Starscream hated to admit it, he looked a lot bigger from up close. Almost as tall as Megatron himself.

"No need to use force!" He glared back at the green one, who made no move to apologize. Not that it really mattered. Starscream's only focus now was on escaping with his spark intact by any means necessary. "I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Ha, is that right? And what do you want in return?" Bulkhead scoffed.

_In return… My life? Status quo aboard the Nemesis? Revenge?_

"I want to be on your side."

"On our side? Hah hah, yeah right! And I've been lobbing with the Fallen!"

"You wouldn't betray the Decepticons." This time it was the femme who spoke. She sounded utterly unconvinced.

"Wouldn't I? What have they done for me lately? Besides humiliate me, spy on me, demote me? Megatron tried to extinguish my spark in cold blood, and all but replaced me with that treacherous wretch Airachnid. She abandoned me! Left me for scrap. So why not rat them out?"

The four Autobots regarded him a moment before turning their backs to him, leaving the apparently mute yellow one to stand next to him. He activated his gun and Starscream realized that he was to guard him while the others discussed at a distance. In case he rolled away, he thought with bitter amusement.

Even from a distance, he could hear the agitated tones in the bulky one's voice. Honestly, he was surprised that they were even considering his proposal. His reputation was hardly golden among the Decepticons. And if an Autobot ever came to Megatron under the same conditions, they would be blasted on the spot.

The Autobots finished their meeting and turned back to face him. "Well?"

Optimus spoke first. "Your proposition is a hopeful one, Starscream. While we would be more than happy if your intentions were just, taking into account your past actions against Autobots and humans alike you must understand that we cannot welcome you with open arms. You may accompany us for now, as our prisoner."

"Prisoner?"

"And you're lucky to even get that." Bulkhead jabbed a finger at him. "One wrong move and you'll be answering to me."

"Arcee, if you would." Optimus motioned for her to free the silk-bound seeker. She nodded and swiftly sliced one of her arm blades down the back of his bindings. No sooner did he get the chance to rotate the stiffness from his arms did he find a pair of stasis cuffs slapped around his wrists.

He scowled bitterly. "I would follow peacefully you know. So now what, you expect me to somehow transform with my servos bound and fly after you?"

Optimus snapped a second clamp around the seeker's wings. "You ride with me."

* * *

They say everyone makes mistakes. Regrettably, as of late it seemed though he had been making far more than his fair share of them. A jolt ran through his spine as Arcee threw him against the rocky incline. Starscream could hear the tell-tale beats of a helicopter retreating in the distance. Probably Airachnid bringing her trophy back to Megatron. All but abandoned by the Decepticons, hated by the Autobots; he was completely alone.

He’d let slip to Arcee while she stood guard over him, that he was the one who ultimately killed one of the Autobots several months ago. A silly mistake to bring it up, now that he thought about it. And now Arcee had a blade held firmly against his throat.

He looked up in terror to meet her optics.

Arcee looked down at her captive. She had envisioned this moment ever since she vowed vengeance against the bot who had taken Cliffjumper offline. Arcee pressed one of her blades against Starscream's throat, threatening to sever one of his primary energon conduits. After all this time she would finally get to avenge her fallen partner, her best friend. He deserved nothing less.

"Go on, do it! Megatron will only terminate me for treason if I dare return to the Decepticons. You may as well be the one to put me out of my misery."

"As if I needed convincing." She drew back, ready to deliver the fatal blow.

"What?” He looked shocked. “Wait, no!"

In the rawness of the moment, Arcee felt the spine tingling sensation that she was being watched. She tried to ignore it, to carry out what she had vowed before Cliffjumper's grave to do. Despite herself, her optics traveled up to the top of the hill where they met with Bumblebee's. He stood stock still, making no move to stop her. Simply watching. Arcee faltered under the pained gaze of her friend, the consequences of her actions finally drilling into her mind. This was not how an Autobot was supposed to act.

Her head swam and she staggered back from her victim, retracting her arm blades. She fell to the ground, shuddering. Bumblebee slid down the hill to her aid, completely ignoring Starscream sputtering on the ground a few feet away. With the heat of the moment passed, Arcee was finally beginning to feel the many wounds Starscream had inflicted on her and a steady stream of energon leaked from the largest gash in her side. Bumblebee looked over her anxiously and gave off a few worried tones as he helped her to her feet.

"I'm fine." She wanted to get away from him, to be alone. But she was afraid that she would collapse without him there. The yellow bot opened up a comlink channel back to base requesting a ground bridge and Arcee followed him to its entrance without resistance. She looked back at the Decepticon struggling to get to his feet behind them. "Starscream, " She motioned Bumblebee's attention back to him. "You stay here and get that scrapheap back in stasis cuffs. I want to make sure he gets what's coming to him." She pulled out from Bumblebee's arm and made to limp back through the ground bridge, trying not to let her body betray how weak she actually felt. Just before entering she turned, eyeing the ground as she spoke. "Bee," She began softly. "Thank you." And with that she stepped through the portal.

As soon as she was sure she was through and out of sight from her teammate, Arcee fell to her knees, gasping as the impact warranted a spike of pain from the gash in her abdomen. Ratchet hurried to her side. "Arcee, what happened? Where are the others?"

"They're safe. Bee said something about an 'Immobilizer'. I'm not sure where Optimus and Bulkhead ended up." She shook her head. "Is there some sort of room that'll function as a brig in this place?"

Ratchet helped her to her feet and led her over to his examination table. "A brig? Well, there's the southeast storage bay that we've been using for some of the spare equipment. Wuh- why on earth would we need a brig?"

"Starscream." Even uttering the accursed mech's name brought out a hard edge in her voice. One that she usually reserved for the heat of battle.

"You can't be serious." He shook his head in disbelief.

"Dead serious. Bumblebee's standing watch over him on the other end of the bridge. He'll probably need assistance getting him through."

"But, your injuries…" The medic protested.

"Can wait. Right now we need to secure that piece of scrap where he belongs. I'll be fine here."

He nodded. "Alright. Here, try to stem the bleeding until I get back." He headed off towards the ground bridge muttering along the way. "Keeping a prisoner with my equipment... Primus help him if he damages any of it."


	3. Trial

"The damage looked bad, but it was a snap to repair, allowing us to reverse its effect on you. You should regain your full range of motion before long" Ratchet proudly announced, waving the restored Immobilizer around rather haphazardly.

"And Arcee?" Optimus questioned. They both looked to the other side of the room where Arcee restlessly paced back and forth near the hall that led to where their Decepticon prisoner was now contained, a hard expression set on her features.

"She's rather resilient for a two wheeler," Ratchet said softly.

"It is the external wounds which heal the quickest…"

Arcee glanced over to see them both looking her direction and made her way over, wincing slightly as she stressed the area that Starscream had slashed her. "Optimus, glad to see you back to normal. I already worked with Bee to write up a mission report while Ratchet was fixing the Immobilizer. All that's left is to determine what to do with Starscream."

Optimus held up a hand to stop her. "Arcee, no need to be so hasty. We cannot decide Starscream's fate without a fair trial."

"Are you serious? Do you think anything he says will really matter? He attacked me! He offlined Cliffjumper! And that was just on this planet! If anything, a fair trial would only serve to condemn him further."

"We must hear him out. Jumping to hasty conclusions will only lead to more regrets down the line. It is our capacity to forgive that separates us from the Decepticons. You would do well to remember that," He admonished calmly.

Arcee hesitated before slowly dropping her gaze at this statement. "I understand. I'll get Bulkhead to help bring him out."

* * *

Starscream stood silently in the center of the main room where the Autobots had guided him. All five of them were positioned to one side, their ten cerulean optics trained upon him. With his wrists bound in stasis cuffs yet again along with the wing clamp, the seeker found his gaze locked with that of Arcee in particular. One of her arm blasters was deployed, though she held it in a neutral position. Her digits tightened around the barrel as she stared him down with vitriol. He narrowed his optics back at her.

"As you can see, I'm now restrained, unarmed, and clearly outnumbered in an unfamiliar territory. I assure you, I pose no threat."

Arcee shot a glance over at Optimus who made no move to order her to stand down. However, she withdrew her gun and stepped a few feet back.

"Is this really smart having him here inside our base?" Bulkhead asked quietly.

Ratchet spoke up. "I took the liberty of disabling all weaponry along with his comlink and navigation systems before bringing him in. Our shielding coupled with the concrete walls of this bunker should prevent any outside sensors from tracking his position."

"Would you like my optics as well?" Starscream called out sarcastically to their miniature huddle. "I was under the impression that you wanted to speak to me, or shall I show myself back to the closet you call a brig?"

Optimus Prime stepped forward. "Starscream, you mentioned that you wished to join the Autobot cause shortly before engaging in battle with Arcee. Is this still the case?"

"If this is how you treat new members, I might not be so sure about it anymore," he sniffed.

"Just answer his question." Arcee snapped.

Starscream flinched slightly and arranged his faceplate into a more somber expression. "The Decepticons have all but disowned me. I'm afraid that if I am to return to Megatron, he will most assuredly terminate me."

"So you come to us for protection?"

"I… have come to realize that the Decepticon cause has been led astray by Megatron," Starscream spoke slowly, choosing his words with purpose. "His actions no longer are in the best interest of anyone but his own crazed delusions. Yours is a noble cause, Optimus Prime, and I believe that our partnership would be mutually beneficial and perhaps even bring an end to Megatron's quest for tyranny."

Ratchet spoke up. "But you've been second in command to Megatron for eons. How could you possibly expect us to take you in with open arms? After everything you’ve done in the name of the Decepticon cause..." He shook his head.

"How indeed? Regrettably, I admit that my past reputation is far short of commendable. But surely after all these years of war, you too are becoming tired of this endless struggle? As Megatron's second in command I have countless years of intel, the inner workings of the Decepticons! I stand before you and freely offer my abilities, in hopes of an equal partnership in return."

"If you're suggesting that we need you, we've been doing just fine on our own. We don't need some strut-licking two-timer slinking around our base!" Bulkhead countered.

"And you certainly served to prove where your loyalties lie when you attacked me earlier," Arcee added vehemently.

Starscream grimaced a bit at this, as if he'd already forgotten that minor detail. "I was merely defending myself. It was her who ordered me to disable my bonds at gun-point!" he appealed to the group as a whole.

"Does this look like defense to you?" Arcee gestured heatedly at her wounded side, now covered by the healing patch Ratchet installed.

"It was the heat of battle. I was only aiming to disable your attacks. Quite the contrary to the blade you held to my throat," he challenged.

"Optimus-" She started to appeal, but stopped short.

Bumblebee put out a series of low beeps as he delicately avoided eye contact with Arcee.

Prime studied her for a moment. "Whatever the situation, you know better than to allow a prisoner of war goad you into such actions."

"You didn't see him Optimus, the way he conned me just to get the first hit. He was enjoying it. You’re not seeing how he's manipulating us right now! Some bots never change."

Ratchet turned a bit so his back was towards Starscream and lowered his voice. "I almost hate to admit it, but Starscream has a point. His knowledge of Decepticon activity could give us the upper hand that we’ve been needing for so long." He turned just enough to glance sideways at the seeker who was beginning to look about the room with interest now that the Autobot's optics were off him. "Plus, as long as we're able to keep an eye on him, it'll be one less Decepticon to focus on out in the field."

"And one more to worry about here instead," Arcee chimed in darkly.

"Yeah, who's to say he won't turn on us the moment we have our backs turned? He said it himself, even the Megatron doesn't trust him," Bulkhead said. "I mean, whatever the Decepticons have in store for him, he probably has it coming."

"Even death?" Bulkhead fell silent, looking at Optimus. "I understand your reluctance to accept Starscream's change of spark, but I'm afraid that if we don't provide him with the chance of redemption now, we may never have another opportunity."

Arcee shifted a bit before Optimus could move back towards Starscream. "Optimus, those are the hands that personally offlined Cliffjumper, and you're just going let them loose! What if he attacks one of us again?"

"Then his expulsion will be swift and final. For now, we must give him the chance to prove his sincerity." He turned back to where Starscream was now turned completely around, quietly examining the vacant human sitting area. At the prime's advancement he returned to attention.

"Starscream, we have decided to allow you this one chance to redeem yourself, and perhaps eventually, to live among us as a fellow Autobot." His tone grew darker. "Bear in mind however, this is strictly a probational period. Any action that contradicts the Autobot cause will not be tolerated, and in return will be met with your immediate imprisonment."

"Oh thank you, Optimus Prime," he nearly crowed. "I will do my best to prove to you my value as a newfound ally in this war," he bowed as best he could with his hands still stuck together. Stopping almost mid-movement, Starscream shot a glance down at his cuffs then back up at Optimus.

Arcee followed his gaze, a deep seated dread settling within her as this new reality sank in. They were really going through with this... Optimus started to make his way to the Seeker and she turned on her heel and made a bee-line for the door.

"You have a long road ahead of you in order to earn our trust, the least I can do now is to offer you a small bit of mine." With that, he slid the key through the reader and caught the cuffs as they fell away from the seeker's thin wrists.

Arcee turned just short of the exit and watched with furrowed eyebrows as Starscream flexed his claw-like digits, relishing the regained freedom in his wrists. He seemed to feel her scowl burning into his skull and he met her gaze, shooting her an almost malicious grin. She stiffened, seeing for a moment the Decepticon plunging his servo between the armor plates of Optimus' chest, twisting until he garnered a stream of spilled energon. Arcee blinked and it was gone, replaced only by a sinking feeling in her chassis. She shook her head slightly, trying to quiet her beating spark as both Optimus and Starscream looked rather quizzically at her. Without another word she transformed and sped down the hallway leading outside.


	4. Examination

"Is this really necessary?" Starscream asked dryly. A while had passed since the Autobots' meeting and they had since made themselves scarce from the main room. Only Ratchet remained behind with the seeker, though Starscream swore he kept hearing the big one's lumbering footsteps failing to do any sort of sneaking just down the hall. Even so, the Autobot medic seemed surprisingly at ease with the former Decepticon as he continued entering figures on a screen to the side of the examination table where Starscream sat eyeing him.

Ratchet finished submitting a string of model numbers and turned back to his patient, motioning for the seeker's slender forearm to be extended. "This is just a routine maintenance checkup. We need to make sure that all your systems are up to par with our current health standards here at base. If you're carrying any foreign viruses I may need to perform some routine scans on your internal hard-drive."

"What?" Starscream jerked his arm away from Ratchet's grip. "My systems are working just fine, thank you very much. I check them myself." He said haughtily. "I hardly appreciate your treating me as if were some rust-riddled maintenance drone."

"Appreciated or not, I'm afraid I can't let you remain at base without first examining you. If your systems are as in working order as you claim, then I will gladly shorten our engagement, but until then..." He motioned again for the arm.

Being a Decepticon inside the Autobot base was one thing, but to be at the whims of the one Autobot who knew more about the Cybertronian body than most others ever cared to was a position that Starscream did not enjoy being in. If Decepticon surgeons were anything to go by, Ratchet would know just the wrong settings to tweak in order to completely debilitate him. Starscream hesitated a moment, but after letting out a small defeated breath he finally held out his arm once more. Ratchet nodded and carefully hooked up his monitoring equipment.

"While that runs, let's take a look at that wing of yours. That's a pretty recent injury by the looks of it. Did you patch it up yourself?"

Starscream drew in a sharp breath. "Don't touch it!"

"I'm just scanning it."

"Hmph. The ship's resident… doctor _,_ did that. If you ask me he didn't spend near enough time sautering the inner components before sealing it up. My internal repair systems have been working on it for over a solar-cycle now."

"Well actually, I was going to say it's not such a bad job. The trauma around the area makes it look like something took a bite out of it. I thought maybe I'd have to redo some of the work. I would never have thought that a Decepticon could-"

Starscream made a small scoffing noise. "That a Decepticon could be a competent physician? By the sound of things, you'd be surprised at what we're capable of."

Ratchet paused, expecting Starscream to go on, but the seeker chose instead to fall into an uncomfortable silence. Ratchet finished examining the area and tapped a few notes into his computer.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are all these dings and scratches? Old battle scars?"

"Hardly. If I'd had them that long, Knockout would have gotten at them by now." He shook his head slightly. "No, Megatron is not so keen on forgiveness."

At this, the Autobot medic finally opted to drop his attempts at conversation and resume his examination. He was never much good at idle chatter anyway. A few silent minutes passed while Ratchet ran through several more of his inspections.

"I need to fetch an electro-pulse monitor from the back room, sit tight while I'm gone."

Starscream watched the red and white mech retreat down one of the side hallways, leaving him alone in the great room. Alone, in the Autobot base. The Autobots must all have a glitch to leave him unsupervised like this. Why, even without the majority of his weapons he could scrap the main computer and be out of here in less than 30 nanoclicks, delivering the location of the Autobot base to Megatron as a gift to regain his standing.

His optics scanned around, no one was in sight. To regain his former position of second in command… For how long though? Even an offering of such magnitude wouldn't change Megatron's rampant distrust of him. It was doubtful that he would even get his old position of second in command back with Airachnid still scuttling about. And the first mistake he made again would land him right back on the wrong end of the fusion cannon. In a months’ time he’d be right back where he started.

He sighed and settled himself more comfortably on the examination table. He would do as the doctor had said, sit tight and wait. It was certainly more appealing than the alternative right now. Although having his wings folded back on themselves was less than ideal. It was really starting to put a kink in his sensory array.

A few cycles passed and Starscream's audio receptors perked at the sound of Ratchet reentering the room, electro-pulse monitor in hand.

"Are you sure there's no way you could get this clamp off me, even for a moment? At this rate my wings will be stuck in this humiliating position even after I'm free to use them!" Starscream griped, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to get some energon flow to the tied appendages. He flinched briefly as the Autobot medic now began closing in on the base of his neck, working to interface a set of wires with remarkably steady hands.

"The clamp stays on until Optimus says otherwise," Ratchet spoke as he worked. "You should be thankful you even got the cuffs taken off. By all accounts many considered you to be one of the more dangerous Decepticons one could encounter back on Cybertron," he threw out casually.

"Is that so?" Starscream smirked a bit to himself, secretly pleased at this bit of information. "And yet here we are. Air Commander Starscream is inside the Autobot base and no one's shooting anyone. Who would have thought?"

The doctor flipped a switch on his machine, sending a minute jolt into the connecting point on Starscream's neck. He yelped.

Ratchet shook his head. "I can't say I always know what's going on in Optimus' mind. Actually, I don't think I'd even want to sometimes. But I trust his judgment in matters such as this. Besides, so far you've done nothing of note except complain at me and make everyone else uncomfortable."

Starscream’s wings dipped a little and he let out a small huff. The room was quiet save for the steady thrum of his sparkbeat over the monitor. He found his gaze wandering over the assembly of machines around them.

"A lot of this equipment looks different from what we had on Cybertron. Did you assemble it yourself?"

Ratchet seemed a bit taken aback at this and a small smile spread across his faceplate. "Why yes, I did. Much of it I had to build from human scrapmetal. It took quite a while, but it functions."

"I can't imagine having to work with such primitive resources."

"It can be a bit of a bother from time to time, but it runs smoothly enough." Without warning, there was a sudden tug and the remaining monitor cords were pulled from their ports. "Much like yourself. Everything meets basic health code."

"So that's it?"

"Well your internal drive seems to be working properly, and aside from some wear and the still healing area on your wing you're in good health." Starscream slid off the examination table to the floor. "Although, I couldn't help but notice that a few of your systems could stand an upgrade." Ratchet added.

"You said yourself everything was functional," the seeker huffed. "I don't see why you'd feel the need to fix what isn't broken."

He shrugged. "I'm just saying. They're not vital components or anything, so whether you choose to or not is by your own volition."

"Yes, I suppose I would have a choice in the matter wouldn't I?" Starscream mused a bit fretfully.

"Either way, we're done for the night. I suggest you find Bulkhead to escort you to where you can power down. I think you'll find him lurking just down one of those halls." He motioned off to the side and moved to start cleaning up his tools.

* * *

Sharp, polished digits dashed across the symbol pad on the wall, a quick series of tones sounding in time to each button as they were selected in the correct order. With a small hiss the steel-belted door slid out of place revealing one of several equipment bays on the Nemesis. Knockout took a few steps inside before looking up from his data pad, giving a small start as he found himself not as alone as he had previously expected.

"Breakdown! What are you doing in here?" he asked.

The large blue mech glanced up with his single good eye before continuing his task of cleaning one of his cannons. "Just swabbing out the main shoulder gun. Seemed as good a place as any. Nice and quiet here."

"I guess it is." Dark red eyes scanned the room, coming to rest on the box of parts that he’d come for. "Say, have you happened to see Starscream lately?"

"Can't say I have. I heard tell that he left a day ago with Airachnid on some sort of special mission. She came back without him. Megatron's been furious ever since." He spoke as he methodically scrubbed the inside the barrel. "I've been waiting it out here until the whole thing blows over."

"Hmm. I did notice our leader's seemed a bit more murderous than usual lately," the Decepticon medic mused.

"Yeah… Wait, you don't think he’ll-" Breakdown looked at his partner with alarm.

"Don't worry. I'm sure your little spider-bot will be fine," Knockout waved him off. "Though I'm not entirely sure what you see in her. Prissy little thing," he added as he flicked a bit of gravel off his shoulder plate. "Well, I'd best be getting back to the med bay-"

"Airachnid, Soundwave, report to the bridge!" Megaton's thunderous voice reverberated through the ship's intercom making both of them flinch.

"On second thought, maybe I'll stay here for a while." The medic added hastily as he found a seat next to Breakdown. "It never hurts to re-sharpen one's saw blades again from time to time."

* * *

Arcee drove at a steady pace, her sleek blue form racing past the desert plains. Red and gold flecks from the setting sun shimmered off her paint job. She didn't bother with her rider hologram at the moment as there was no one around for miles to witness the motorcycle without a driver. Her thoughts had calmed from earlier, and she let her mind clear to enjoy the cooling wind against the heat of her engine.

The drone of a familiar engine met her audio receptors and she slowed slightly to allow the yellow muscle car to catch up to her. "Hey, Bee." Arcee greeted her friend as he pulled up next to her, easily matching her steady cruising speed. "What're you doing out here?"

Her teammate beeped out a few tones in reply, to which Arcee gave a small laugh.

"The scenery, huh? Yeah, me too. Nice to get away from the roads around base sometimes."

The two rode in silence for a short moment before Bumblebee let out another string of beeps over their shared comlink.

"No, I just didn't want to be around _him_ anymore. I don't suppose that Optimus has had a change of spark since I stormed out of there?"

Bumblebee answered with a few downturned blurbs.

"I didn’t think so. Once the big bot makes up his mind, there's no stopping him. I just don't see his reasoning behind trusting anything that turncoat Decepticon has to say."

Another pause as Bumblebee answered.

"Yeah yeah, without compassion there can't be lasting peace. I remember." She brushed off the all too familiar saying. "I guess as a heroic Autobot I'm obligated to give him one more chance," she said a bit cynically.

A string of amused tones followed

"For all of our sakes though, I hope Optimus is right," she added somewhat to herself before addressing her companion again. "Before we head back, I just wanted to say thanks for bringing me to my senses back there."

Arcee waited for her friend to finish expressing himself through a somewhat longer string of beeps before continuing. "I wanted to." She admitted truthfully. "All I could think about was avenging Cliffjumper. I thought that maybe by snuffing the spark of the con who killed him there'd be some sort of solace in it. A closing of sorts." She gave a small half-hearted laugh. "I know, pretty silly right? I was so angry… Sorry you had to see me like that."

The young scout answered quickly, as if to dismiss her apologetics. There was nothing to forgive in his mind.

Arcee laughed again, this time genuinely. "You're too good sometimes, you know that? Come on, let's get back to base."


	5. Scout

"I'm telling you, I don't know where he ended up. We got separated when the Autobots showed. After the yellow Autobot destroyed the Immobilizer I assumed that-"

"And you didn't even bother to search for him?" Megatron snarled down at her.

Airachnid cringed slightly, but kept her face pointed firmly to the floor in a show of respect. She knew it had been wise not to divulge the exact nature of her and Starscream's confrontation, yet she suspected the Decepticon leader to have already guessed the gist of it.

"If it would please you, Lord Megatron, let me go out and look for him. I'm sure that there is some way for me to make up for what was lost." Airachnid said to the smooth floor of the bridge before chancing a glance up at the scowling face of the Decepticon warlord.

"My second in command is gallivanting outside my realm of control, possibly in the hands of the Autobots, and you think I would allow the one responsible to make matters worse?" Megatron shook his head. “Tracking him down will no doubt be difficult if his energy signature has been masked. If the Autobots are indeed holding him as their prisoner it would stand to reason that he is currently in their base. The location of which yet eludes me. That is why I am assigning the task to Soundwave. You will assist him with whatever he requires of you."

Airachnid glanced over her shoulder at the faceless bot as he stood quietly behind her. She’d nearly forgotten he was there. "As you wish, Lord Megatron."

Megatron strode from the room and Airachnid bowed ever so slightly until he left, only dropping her composure once he was gone.

"What are you looking at?" She snarled at Soundwave after the door sealed behind their leader with a tight hiss. She glared at his empty faceplate, as if daring him to direct her to a new task. There was not even a twitch of motion in his slender frame as he presumably returned her stare. The only emotion she could discern was her own fuchsia optics narrowed viscously back at her across the mirror smooth plate. It was infuriating to say the least.

"Send for me if you actually need my assistance," Airachnid finally spoke before backing down. Without a cursory glance, she turned on her heel and stalked from the room.

* * *

"That was sweet!" Miko exclaimed as she slid from the height of Bulkhead's passenger seat. "When do you think the Slash Monkeys are going to release their next album? It's been like-" The young girl halted abruptly as she noticed something different about the base. She scanned the room, her narrowed eyes tracing up the unfamiliar form Starscream presented off to the side.

"Hey, that's the bot that wanted to scrap Bulkhead and I when we were down in the mines! What's he doing here? When I get my hands on him-" Her hands clenched into fists and she started towards the seeker, only to find herself confronted by the solid wall of metal that was Bulkhead's hand.

"Miko, hold on a sec." Bulkhead waited until he was sure she wouldn't continue on towards Starscream. He then pulled his servo back from in front of the girl's face. "Starscream here is on our side now. He was kicked out of the Decepticons and Optimus decided to take him in."

"And you didn't think to tell me this before, why?"

"I tried to! You wouldn't stop talking!"

Any further reply was drown out by Arcee's motor as she and Jack entered the main room. Miko ran over to the two before Jack could even get his helmet off.

"Jack, don't freak out or anything, but-"

He waved her off. "I know. Arcee already told me."

"You mean I'm the last one to know?" She crossed her arms in a faux pout. "Figures."

"Jack, Miko." Raf greeted them, peering down at them from over the railing of their makeshift living area.

Before any more could be said, a set of heavy footsteps heralded the approach of Optimus Prime. Everyone in the room fell still save for the two new-coming humans scurrying up the stairs to join Raf. The Autobot leader acknowledged them briefly with a small smile before addressing Starscream, who stood with practiced disinterest off to the side.

"Starscream, these are our human companions. Jack, Miko, and Rafael." He motioned to each in turn. "

Starscream took a few steps closer to the platform before glancing down with scarcely masked distaste at the three humans standing before him. Only Raf gave a small wave which he quickly stifled. The seeker turned from them to address Optimus. "May I ask why you allow premature fleshlings to roam freely between your feet? It seems a bit… counterproductive."

"We take great stock in our human allies. They have aided us in many situations and helped us to better understand Earth's culture. They are to be treated with respect. I encourage you to get to know them."

"Hmm." Starscream looked down at them once more, clearly unconvinced.

Ratchet spoke up once it seemed introductions were out of the way. "Optimus, I hate to interrupt, but a few minutes ago I detected a simultaneous security breach in two government containment facilities. One of them could just be some civilians tripping the security sensors, but the more southern signal is accompanied by some faint Cybertronian tech signatures."

Arcee stepped forward to join them at the monitor. "Decepticons."

Ratchet nodded. "What few human guards they have on staff aren't responding to Agent Fowler’s calls, leading us to believe they have been neutralized. Government officials have already been notified but I'm afraid that the buildings' remote locations make it impossible for them to get there in time."

"These are your allies, Scream, any idea what they're up to?" Arcee questioned.

"Former allies." Starscream corrected her as he looked over her shoulder at the marked locations. "To my knowledge the buildings in question do not hold any strategic significance to the Decepticons, though I cannot say that Megatron's plans never change."

"Your input is appreciated." Optimus commented. Starscream merely shrugged.

"Arcee, Bulkhead, you two scout out the more nearby facility. Bumblebee, you're with me at the southwest location where the Cybertronian energy was detected. Ratchet, if you would…"

The red and white medic nodded, opening the ground bridge to his leader's location.

Arcee waited a beat after the two disappeared through the portal before looking towards her human companion. "Are you sure you don't want to ride along, Jack?" She said, shooting a sideways glance at Starscream who merely rolled his optics in response.

"I dunno, this sounds kind of serious." He said hesitantly.

"You heard Ratchet, the first site is probably nothing. I just thought you might enjoy tagging along for this one," she said a bit defensively.

"I've got homework I need to get started on." Jack excused himself hastily. He made his way over to his partner and pressed his fingertips lightly on the side of her lower leg in a small effort to console her. "Don't worry, I'll be okay here." She gave a small smile down at him in return before Bulkhead broke in.

"Are you ready or what? Whatever that signal is, it's gonna be halfway across Nevada by the time we get there."

She turned toward Bulkhead who was already waiting to go through the bridge. "Alright, let's go." The two transformed and drove through the portal before it closed behind them.

"Hey, you!" Miko leaned over her length of railing at Starscream who was now looking with vague interest at the two locations on the main computer. At her insistence he gave a loud sigh and turned to her.

"Yes?"

"Shouldn't you be out there helping your buddies take down those government buildings?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. I believe you are my 'buddies' now." He said slightly mockingly.

"You wish," she retorted. "So how can we know you aren't some sort of secret agent con, infiltrating from within, gaining our trust, waiting for the perfect moment to strike?" She made some sort of gesture that resembled cat claws.

He found his mouth draw into an amused smirk. "You can't."

* * *

"We'll need to go by foot from here so the engine noise doesn't attract any unwanted attention." Arcee declared, transforming with Bulkhead close behind.

"So, you're standing in for June again?"

"Huh?"

"You and Jack back at the base. You were hovering."

"Jack's a big kid; he can take care of himself. I’m… proud he made the responsible choice in staying behind. I can't let my feelings towards Starscream lead to poor judgment," she said with resolve. She walked in silence for a moment as she fiddled with her handheld scanner. "What about you?" she asked, without looking up.

"What do you mean?"

"You seem awfully okay with keeping a Decepticon around base. Even after what happened with you and Miko in the mines."

Bulkhead regarded her for a moment before responding. "I'm not saying that I'm a fan of this whole situation, but it does seem to make sense in the long run. Starscream said he’d let us in on the inner workings of the Decepticon army. It's not every day that you get access to inside information like that."

"Who's to say if it's even true though? I mean, what does he have to gain from giving us all this information?"

"Like he said, the Decepticons had it out for him. You yourself said that you saw Megatron about to terminate him in the mines. Too bad he didn't seem to know anything about these two locations."

"Unless this is some sort of a trap he's leading us into," she said darkly.

"Now you're just being paranoid. It's like you want him to be up to something."

She sighed. "I'm just saying, he's too unpredictable. I don’t _want_ him to turn on us, but it'd sure be a lot easier than sitting around waiting for him to strike."

"I don't know what's going on in Starscream's head, but he'd have to be crazy to make enemies out of both sides."

"Hmm…" A small light on her tracker drew her attention. "We're getting close. It should be just beyond this stand of rocks." Arcee crept up to the ridge and motioned for her companion to do the same. Once she was sure they were both out of sight from whoever might be at the bottom of the hillside, she twisted to peer past the edge of their cover at the facility beyond. Among the rather non-descript government vehicles that were parked in the lot were several that looked out of place with their familiar green paint jobs.

"Mech."

* * *

"Input code '42693' into the third instance." Starscream spoke from over Ratchet's shoulder, watching as he input the numbers on the screen. The seeker shifted in place for a moment before gesturing impatiently for the Autobot to move out the way. "Here, let me do it. It'll be faster." Ratchet frowned at him for a moment, but finally stepped one pace to the right to allow him access to the controls. Long spindly digits tapped down on the keys in a rhythmic fashion telling of their familiarity with the task at hand, pausing only at the odd differences in the opposing faction's computer system.

"We probably should have thought to be monitoring the communication channels from the very beginning. Megatron would be a fool not to change the frequencies once I went missing…"

A small pattering of footsteps hearkened the arrival of the smallest human. "Hi Ratchet, What are you doing?" Raf watched their progress on the screen from through the railing of the nearby platform.

"We are attempting to use Starscream's comlink frequency to tap into the Decepticon airwaves. If they have anything to do with the incident our teams are investigating, we'll know about it. So far though, results are inconclusive."

"Can I help?"

Starscream spoke up before Ratchet could answer. "I hardly think a human could hope to even comprehend the intricacies of Cybertronian technology, even as antiquated as your systems are."

"Now wait just a nanoclick. Rafael is actually quite useful when it comes to computers. And as it stands, our systems are built up from preexisting Earth technology."

"I helped work out some of the bugs in the Autobot's main computer when I got here," the young boy offered.

"Hmph, that would explain some of these system errors that keep cropping up." Starscream regarded him a moment with distaste, glancing sideways at Ratchet before turning back to his task at hand. "You may stay and watch however. Though I can't see how having a small fleshling around could do much good," he added in a lower tone that Raf just barely picked up. The bespectacled boy slouched slightly at the comment, but pretended not to hear and continued to watch. Vivid green symbols from the screen reflected off his glasses as he stood his ground at the railing.

Across the way Miko sat huddled in one of the reading chairs, a book on basic physics propped up on her knees. She stared through it intently, watching with her peripheral vision as the three science types worked their magic. From time to time her hazel eyes darted upwards to follow any sudden movements on Starscream's part. Facing away from them sat Jack, with his head buried in his notebook, diligently trying to ignore the micro-argument that was now blossoming behind him. By the sound of things, the attempt to tap into the Decepticon communications system was proving to be rather unsuccessful.

"What does he think he's up to, huh?" Miko dropped her book a little to afford herself a better view of the scene. "He's probably here on a secret infiltration mission from Megatron."

Jack didn't even look up from his work. "If Megatron sent Starscream to infiltrate the Autobots, you'd think he'd do a better job at pretending to be friendly."

As if to give credence to this statement a shrill scrape cut through the air from behind him. "Be careful with that!" Ratchet's voice admonished loudly. A string of indecipherable curses were heard in response and Raf came skittering over to join the other two humans. He plopped himself on the couch next to Jack, avoiding eye contact.

Jack gave him a look to make sure he was alright before continuing to Miko. "If Megatron really is after him though, then it's good of Optimus to offer him shelter here, right?"

"What do we look like, a charity case? I say even if Optimus can't find it in him to scrap the Con, they should at least kick him out. I don't see why we have to cover his sorry behind."

"Miko, whether you like it or not this could be a huge step in the Autobot's favor. It's not every day you get an insider's look at enemy arms."

Any further output from the young girl's mouth was cut off by a frustrated growl from behind them. "All the frequencies we used only a few cycles ago are rewritten with a new triple encryption coding, courtesy of Soundwave no doubt. They'll be impossible to gain access to now."

At this Miko jumped up from her seat to face him. "So what if you need to radio in for some Con backup?" she accused.

"Miko!" Jack reached out a hand to stop her, but she brushed past him to the edge of the platform in order to make eye contact with her foe as best she could.

Starscream shot her a sideways glare before turning to her with a snarl. "Little girl, I don't think you understand the situation at hand here."

"Oh, I understand perfectly. You're getting all cozy with the Autobots just so you can turn your back on them when the time is right to hand them over to Megatron!" Even in his long shadow she didn't move a muscle, her eyes locked with his in a fierce stare off.

The seeker took a step closer to where Miko stood. Despite her stance on the second story platform he loomed over the girl. "Now get this into your tiny, frail skull; I left the Decepticons. Megatron doesn't need me anymore! There is no plan, no backup, nothing!"

Seething, Starscream's knife-like fingers clenched momentarily as if by reflex, and both of them stood otherwise motionless. No one dared intervene. But as quickly as the whole ordeal had begun, it was over. With a huff Starscream stormed from the room down one of the side corridors.

* * *

The Mech soldiers moved with purpose, unhindered by any security and unaware of the two Autobots watching them from atop the hillside. Arcee counted four of them moving about the building, lightly armed from what she could see, but given their previous encounter, one could never be too sure about Mech's technology.

"Come on, let's get 'em!" Bulkhead transformed his arm cannon out.

"Hang on a second." Arcee deftly held up a servo causing Bulkhead to stop just short of breaking cover. "We need to report this to Optimus before engaging. Unless they actually present a danger to the plant, we are not to engage. At the moment we don't even know their full weapon capacity."

"Are you serious? We just have to sit here and watch them ride off with everything they came here for? Who knows what they're up to. They could be gathering equipment for their next vivisection!"

"There's only a few soldiers down there. It looks like they're just scouting out the area at the moment. As long as they don't notice us." She turned once again to peer out from their cover at the uniformed humans down below. Bulkhead stood hunched out of sight from the group, knowing that such spying was best left to those smaller than he. Something coming over the opposing horizon caught his attention however.

"Uh, ‘Cee, eyes in the sky!"

Arcee started and whipped around to where her teammate was pointing, a slight whirring noise made her audio receptors buzz. "Scrap. Why didn't it show up on our scanners? We should be able to pick up on anything electronic the humans can build."

"It looks Decepticon." He observed as the object drew close to them, circling the skies. On its second pass, shouts rang out from the valley below them, signaling that the humans now saw the craft as well. Shots pierced the air surrounding the birdlike vessel as it weaved neatly between the attacks, safe from harm.

Arcee ducked lower behind their stand of rocks as several sets of footsteps started pounding up the hill towards the two. "Well whatever it is we can't stay here. Come on!" Taking a running leap she transformed with Bulkhead close behind.

"Ratchet, we need a ground bridge, stat!" Angling her rear-view mirrors she could see the flying vessel veer off suddenly in the direction from whence it came. With a slight sucking sound the ground bridge portal opened up before them in a flash of light, and none too soon by the looks of it. The tops of the Mech soldiers' heads were visible just as the two Autobot tailpipes cleared the void and the portal sealed behind them.


	6. Heat

“I can't take it anymore! It feels like my wings are about to fall off with how long they've been pinned back like this! Cruel and unusual punishment, that's what it is.”

Starscream bit down a sharp grimace and slid his door open just far enough to stick his head out, making sure there were no Autobots loitering about the entrance to the ~~storage room~~ quarters they had granted him. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he slipped back inside the dimly lit room and made his way to the spot on the floor where several tools which he had recently 'borrowed' from Ratchet's supply were laid out. Pouring over them for a moment, he singled out a screwdriver-like instrument that should serve his purposes nicely.

The seeker deftly held the tool in his digits and twisted his body as best he could to reach the target area in the middle of his back. "Come on, come on," Starscream strained, craning his neck in a vain attempt to see what he was doing. The end of the tool scrabbled uselessly against the edges of the wing clamp, unable to gain purchase on the tight locking mechanism. Increasingly frustrated, he jabbed blindly at the restraint, not that he expected that to work any better.

"Why won't you open?" Forgoing the tool entirely he dug his fingertips into the ever so slight crease trying with all his might to pry the two halves apart. The only results were a few shallow scratches to the surface. "Slagging clamp!"

There was a knocking sound and Starscream froze in place, optics darting to the shadow visible in the crack of light under the door panel. A series of beeps came from the other side, questioning whether he was in the room or not. He jolted into action, sweeping up the stolen tools and stashing them behind a stack of crates in the corner of the room.

Before Bumblebee could knock again Starscream opened the door. "Yes?"

The yellow mech shifted a bit to the left, trying to see past him and into the room. It then occurred to Starscream that he had been making quite a racket and he forced a rather unconvincing grin. Bumblebee asked if everything was okay.

"Yes yes, I was just… um," he fumbled around for a valid excuse. "fixing up… some of the vents. It was a bit drafty in here," he finished somewhat lamely. The furrowed eyebrows on Bumblebee's face signaled clear amounts of skepticism, but he seemed to let it slide and proceeded to sound out the main point of his visit.

"Optimus Prime has news? Then who are we to keep the great leader of the Autobots waiting?" he said with perhaps more bravado than was needed. Regaining his composure, he stepped past the yellow Autobot and closed the door to his quarters before any more questions could be raised.

Ahead, Starscream could faintly hear the remaining Autobots speaking in the main room. The conversation grew stifled once they heard Bumblebee and his approaching footsteps. He entered the room to see all of them looking pointedly elsewhere. Arcee looked especially displeased about something.

"You called?" The seeker addressed Optimus. The large bot looked past him for a moment, perceptive optics lingering on the scuffs and scrapes surrounding the seam of the clamp. Starscream noticed the direction of his gaze and his wings dipped down a bit, obscuring the damage behind him. The Prime said nothing.

"Starscream, we were just now discussing the government containment breaches yesterday. Agent Fowler has recently informed us that the item Mech was after was a high powered impulse relay device. Since Bumblebee and I were able to prevent a group of Mech agents from raiding the military warehouse at the first set of coordinates, it seems reasonable to assume that they will be attempting to infiltrate the second location that Arcee and Bulkhead scouted."

Starscream's interest piqued at this. "Mech? That band of renegade humans who somehow managed to capture Breakdown? I thought it was a Cybertronian energy signal that Ratchet picked up yesterday."

"When we arrived at the site we found that their weapons gave off a very similar energy signature to that of our own. The technologies were probably derived from their experimentation on Breakdown." A grim silence permeated the Autobots as for a brief moment as they recalled the last confrontation with the human group. Such a gruesome act could not be so easily forgotten, even if the victim wasn’t one of their own.

The Autobot leader continued, "It would seem that they are well on their way to reverse engineering our technology for their own twisted purposes. As you all know, Mech has proven that they are not a threat to be taken lightly. Now that they've familiarized themselves with the area, we must be ready to prevent them from acquiring their target device from the second location."

Optimus turned. "Starscream, I would not ask of you to depart on a mission against your former allies so soon after joining our ranks. I do however feel that it would be helpful for you to get a chance to work with us Autobots in a team situation. As such, I am requesting that you join us in our upcoming mission to prevent Mech's heist."

"Wait a second. You mean outside the base?" Starscream asked, somewhat surprised.

Prime nodded. "Of course."

Starscream thought for a moment. "As you were saying before, about how Mech is such a dangerous foe, able to take down even a bot as large as Breakdown. How are you to expect me to be of any use while remaining completely unarmed?" He did a little wave with both arms as if to demonstrate that his blasters were still disabled.

"You raise a valid point, one that I have been considering since this operation's conception. While you are no doubt a capable short range combat fighter," Arcee gave a brief scowl at this. "Mech's offensive tactics are more likely to be performed at a distance. Ratchet, if you would care to enable Starscream's blasters."

Ratchet nodded and grabbed a device from his nearby work table motioning for Starscream to extend one of his forearms. From the lack of hesitation, it was apparent that the others had already discussed the matter prior. Starscream watched the process in silence, making no attempts to resist the doctor's operations. He looked expectantly over to where Arcee was standing.

She met his gaze. "What?"

"No argument?"

She crossed her arms. "And have to listen to you whine later about how poor and defenseless you were after I bail your sorry aft out? No thanks."

He grinned. "Then while you're at it, would you mind freeing my wings up as well? Flight is a valuable asset on the battlefield."

She returned with a small smirk. "What, and let you fly off as soon as you get outside? Don't push it."

He gave a dramatic sigh and shook his head. "You have so little faith in me."

Ratchet closed a small panel on Starscream's forearm with a snap. "There, see how that works."

Starscream hesitated a moment, catching the eyes of all the Autobots watching him expectantly. Their faces were attentive, and he was unsure if the silence was born out of wariness or by some other unsung feeling. In the end he supposed it didn't matter to him. With the sound of countless parts rearranging themselves simultaneously, Starscream transformed his right forearm into one of his red and black blasters. He examined it for a moment, charging it slightly to make sure it was functional. Then, as smooth as he drew it, it was gone again, taking with it the imperceptible edge that had caused the Autobots to execute the Cybertronian equivalent of holding their breaths.

Satisfied that everything was in working order, Optimus added. "Of course you are not allowed to shoot directly at the humans. We aim to disarm and repel only. The human military has stationed a small task force of soldiers inside while we hold the perimeter. It is their jurisdiction what happens to Mech in the end."

"Optimus," Ratchet motioned to the signal that had appeared on the monitor. "It's time."

* * *

The five bots stepped through the ground bridge with Optimus in the lead. The sun had just risen not more than an hour earlier and the air was still crisp and clear.

Starscream couldn't keep the grin off his face as he stared up at the brilliant cerulean sea above them. "It's good to see the sky again," he beamed despite himself.

"Our base is that bad huh?" Arcee couldn't help but share the smile a bit before continuing. "Yeah, I imagine a bot would get kind of restless being cooped up all the time."

"You have no idea. I must have explored every nook and cranny of that place about five times by now.”

"How am I supposed to rest easy knowing that?"

Optimus spoke from his position at the head of the group. "Autobots, remain on guard. Mech could arrive at any moment and we cannot afford to allow them access to the impulse relay device. "

A brief burst of static could be heard as if in response to this. The group of bots stiffened as this was followed by a smooth voice rolling over their personal comlinks. "That's awfully noble of you, but I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice in the matter." Helicopter blades could be heard in the distance alongside an indeterminate amount of motor vehicles.

"Silas, stop this. Your intentions will only lead to further pain and strife. Surrender now or my Autobots and I will put an end to your reprehensible operations by force." Optimus replied adamantly.

"Mech is on the cutting edge of technological breakthroughs. You can't stop progress, not when we've come so far. Tell you what; I'll leave you to my men here while I go greet your friends inside." Right on cue the drone of engine noise gave itself physical form as a flurry of jeeps and Mech's odd choice of striped green sports cars arrived on the scene.

"Remember, try to avoid any unnecessary casualties." Optimus instructed before his faceplate went up in preparation for battle.

With Silas' aircraft speeding off towards the facility, the Mech vehicles broke their formation to circle around and impede the Autobot's pursuit. With an almighty swing, Bulkhead smashed his wrecking ball down into the engine of a passing jeep, effectively stopping it in its tracks. A second vehicle drove by with its passenger soldier shooting a steady stream of bullets at the green giant. Bulkhead held up one of his arms in defense of his more vulnerable areas as bullets plinked like rain off his heavy plating. Several bursts of red energy were fired and the soldier's gun was shot right out of his hands. Bulkhead looked over in surprise to see Starscream withdraw his arm cannon with a satisfied grin.

"Heh, nice shootin' Scream. Keep that up and we'll done with these guys in no time," he threw out casually before running over to where several soldiers were converging around Bumblebee.

Perhaps this wasn’t so bad, Starscream thought to himself. Sure it was stupid that they couldn’t just shoot the humans to prevent them from getting the device, but if he made it into a sort of game it was a decent test of skill to be able to cripple their forces without terminating them. Shoot the gun from that one's hands, blow out the tires on that one's vehicle, heh whoops, I hit that one in the legs by mistake…

"Hey Starscream, you want to at least pretend this is a chore?" Arcee called out as their respective battle paths crossed.

He gave a small chuckle. "Why should I? Might as well have a little fun as long as we're here." He shot a pair of crimson blasts at an approaching humvee making it swerve as the impacts hit the ground around it. With its driver shaken but undamaged, the humvee skittered between the two Cybertronians, making a beeline on its way to the facility.

"Hold that thought. I've got this one." Arcee said, running a few paces before transforming and speeding after the vessel with a trail of dust in close pursuit.

Starscream looked a bit wistfully after the two vehicles zooming away, the smile gradually falling from his features and a small weight settling somewhere near his spark. He wouldn’t have a chance at keeping up without his vehicle mode…

A heavy sound in the distance overshadowed the blaster fire and gun shots that peppered the air. Sounding similar to that of a plasma cannon firing, its different reverberation distracted the seeker from his brooding. He turned his head to search for the source of the blast when a bright blue light clipped his side, knocking him to the ground. He caught himself with his arms, inhaling sharply as he reached up to clutch the singed area. No energon leakage at least; that was good. Those wretched Mech soldiers must have some sort of heavy artillery cannon.

The thick, almost internal throb of helicopter blades roared overhead in the direction of where Optimus, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee stood their ground, and he wondered why it didn't swing around to finish him off with its cannon. His question was soon answered as several trucks arrived, each one delivering several Mech soldiers who quickly surrounded him. Starscream rose to his feet, transforming out one of his blasters and doing his best to glower menacingly at each one of the men from his towering height. Off in the distance he could see the three Autobots now being harried by the same helicopter that blasted him. From what he could tell they had their hands full between dodging its shots while simultaneously trying to take the craft down, so calling for backup was out. Besides, what kind of bot was he if he couldn't handle a few small humans?

One of the men gave a loud shout to open fire and an onslaught of gunfire exploded all around him. Raising one arm to shield his face, Starscream let out a few rounds from his blaster but the soldiers continued to converge upon him and he soon found himself backed up against the face of a nearby cliffside.

Starscream felt a low growl rise deep in his throat, buried by the deafening barrage of plinking bullets hitting his chest plating. Most of his attacker's shots were no more than a nuisance, but occasionally one would find its way to less resistant area underneath his outer plating. It would only be a matter of time before one of them got lucky and hit something vulnerable. He shoved a few of the men out of the way with a broad sweep of his servo, hoping to at least make a pathway so he could join the rest of the group. It would be so much easier if he could just fly. His wings still ached from being pinned back for so long and the Mech soldiers were finding their large surface area to be an easy target for their shots. A particularly heavy round glanced off the still healing patch on his left wing and he stifled a short yell.

"That's it!" he snarled under his breath. Wings or no wings he was getting out of here. Bypassing his usual pattern of transformation, Starscream activated the main jet thruster on his back, his engines roaring to life. The men behind him cried out as fire and exhaust burned the air around them, the concussive blast pushing them flat against the rock face, several of their uniforms and a vehicle catching fire in the process. The burst was short but the sheer force provided enough lift for Starscream to land heavily a good distance from his previous position, leaving his attackers scrambling to put out the blaze.

"Starscream, need a hand?" Arcee's voice inquired over his comlink as she raced back from chasing the escaped humvee. There was a loud explosion as the flaming jeep blew up and she transformed to take in the scene. Her eyes caught with shock on the men still struggling to smother the flames burning through their uniforms while others fled from the burning wreckage. "What did you do?" She cried out with alarm.

The seeker was saved from answering by the thrumming gale of another one of Mech's helicopters flying low above their heads. They could just barely make out Silas seated inside, clutching some kind of device in the passenger seat. Arcee whipped out her guns, aiming for the tail boom of the helicopter, but her shots managed only to graze the landing gear before the craft was out of range. Taking advantage of the distraction, the several remaining groups of Mech agents took the cue to retreat in whatever vehicles were still functional.

Arcee turned back to where Starscream stood, his optics tracking the helicopter almost wistfully as it retreated into the distance. With a small huff she withdrew her guns and walked over to stand in front of him, her head just reaching the middle of his chest-plate. "Look, I don't know what you're playing at here, but Autobot rule number one: Never aim to kill when you can disarm."

With a scowl he looked down at the femme, "They were shooting at us! Did you not see the helicopter mounted rail gun back there?" He motioned with a grand sweep of his arm to where Bumblebee was picking his way around the numerous craters in the ground. By the looks of things, it was by no small feat that they’d emerged unscathed.

"That doesn't excuse scorching the life out of the humans. You should have commed for backup if you really needed help."

He sneered at her. "I don't need to be saved like some helpless protoform from a few measly humans. They were the enemy! Besides, how can you expect to win a war without making sacrifices?"

She glared at him. "You don't know anything about sacrifices…"

He blanched, realizing his mistake after it was too late. "What I meant was," he gave a small nervous laugh, "that… in order to move forward, one must make split second decisions that while they may seem like a detriment at the time, in the long run they could prove to be- um…" He trailed off, realizing he was only burying himself deeper into the scrap yard.

"You are infuriating!" Arcee could hardly speak. “Do you think you can do whatever you like? Do you think just because Megatron threw you out, you can just up and join our ranks and get a clean slate? That we’ll forget everything you’ve done if you play nice?" she spat out. “Every action you take has consequences, and maybe if you’d stop to consider that you might realize that there are some things you can't talk your way out of. You may be staying in our base, fighting on our side, but it will be a long time, if ever, that we could consider you one of us."

She turned to leave, but Starscream quickly blocked her path. "Are you saying that you've never done anything horrible in the course of this war?" he asked. Arcee sustained her glare, but said nothing. "Countless died on Cybertron. Allies, friends… If you didn't choose a side, you were torn apart by both. Back then, Megatron brought us hope for the future of Cybertron, to abolish the corruption that had only been growing over the years. Many were inspired by his ideas for a new Cybertron order. Until his war killed the planet." He added bitterly.

"Just because we're in a war, doesn't mean we have to let go of our basic principles," she responded coldly.

He straightened up a bit. "When it's your own life on the line or that of those around you, it's only reasonable to preserve yourself first."

"Oh, too bad you didn't let me know that sooner or I could have snuffed your spark back when I had the chance! I'll be sure to remember that the next time your neck is on the line!"

Before Starscream could respond, heavy footsteps hearkened the arrival of Optimus Prime. "Arcee, Starscream, are you two still functional?" his deep voice broke in as he walked up to them, all too aware of what he was interrupting.

Arcee took a moment to compose herself before speaking. "Nothing serious. But by the looks of things, it seems as though Mech got away with what they came for," she said, unable to completely mask her lingering anger.

"Indeed. It seems as though the government soldiers on the inside could not halt Mech's infiltration." He looked down at the blue femme in front of him, then over to the seeker, both of which were shooting dirty looks at the other. "Arcee, what happened?" Optimus asked.

Starscream interrupted before she could answer.

"Optimus Prime sir, I believe she is upset about the fact that I may have disobeyed your orders in harming some human Mech agents. They had me cornered and the only means I saw to escape their barrage was to use my thrusters. Several of them were caught in way of the blast." He paused, as if steeling himself for what he was about to say. "I… apologize if that was not the best course of action to take," he finished with a slight grimace before bracing himself for any punishment that was sure to follow.

It was hard to read exactly what was going through the Autobot leader's mind upon hearing this statement, but after a few moments of deliberation he seemed to settle on his verdict. "Starscream, your actions, out of self-preservation though they may have been, were not in agreement with Autobot standards. However, I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt that your intentions were without malice towards the humans," he delivered sternly.

The seeker sighed, relief written all over his face. "I assure you, they were not." He gave a shallow bow. "You are a most gracious and reasonable leader."

Optimus merely nodded in acknowledgment, before motioning his dismissal. "You may return to base with the others."

Arcee stood next to Optimus as they watched the seeker walk off. "Do you really think he was telling the truth?"

"As erroneous as his actions were, I do not think he was explicitly aiming to injure the humans. Starscream's values may not be in direct line with ours, but out from under the influence of Megatron it is possible that he will adjust. This was only his first mission."

"I don’t know how you do it,” she admitted looking downcast. “I’ve been trying to go along with your decision, but I feel like I’m just waiting. For something good to happen, something bad, I’m not sure…”

Optimus regarded her with a soft gaze, sharing her grief for a brief moment before looking back to where Starscream was making his way back to the Ground Bridge portal, trailing slightly behind Bulkhead and Bumblebee. "You might think you are waiting, but perhaps you are just giving yourself time to think. There are some things that time cannot amend on its own, but we must continue moving forward to ensure we do not lose even more along the way.”

Arcee gave a small nod, and the two of them started for the portal as well.


	7. Trust

"So Starscream is indeed with the Autobots. Unfortunate, but I cannot say it is unexpected." Megatron had his servos clasped behind his back as he mused aloud in the company of Soundwave. Though he knew his most trusted supporter would not respond, Megatron appreciated the vague nods of affirmation over those who were prone to voice too many of their own opinions.

"Is he among them as their prisoner or of his own volition?" The warlord asked after a moment of silence.

Soundwave promptly pulled up an aerial clip of the latest skirmish between the Autobots and Mech on his vis-screen. As usual, the he never failed to provide hard evidence of any potentially useful information. The screen zoomed in on Starscream blasting the ground around a few troopers to keep them at bay from himself and the other Autobots. Megatron examined the scene with interest. "They allow him his weapons yet keep him grounded and easily manageable. Interesting." He afforded himself a small smile. "If by some miracle he ends up aboard my ship once again I shall have to remember that. Continue evaluating the situation. Find out if Starscream truly has his spark with the other side. If not, perhaps he yet can be of some use to us."

Soundwave nodded once in acknowledgment and strode silently from the room.

* * *

Back in the Autobot base, Starscream tapped a single long digit on the countertop where he sat idly. His thoughts were turned inward, as was typical ever since he was taken in by the Autobots. Taken in, sure, but not as an equal. They had been considerate of him no doubt, offering their resources and attentions; and he imagined if it came down to it, their protection. That was a perk that was never guaranteed aboard the Nemesis. As a Decepticon, if you fell behind you were left behind. There was no room for the weak in Megatron's eyes. Starscream always knew strengths were matter of perspective however. It was to a bot's own detriment if they couldn't see the strengths of another. Megatron was infamous for turning a dead optic to those whom he did not favor, regardless of their talents.

Yet here, Starscream was granted firepower, the freedom to fight with the other Autobots as if they depended on his participation. They could have just as easily locked him in the base, interrogating him for all useful intel before tossing him back into the stockades. They had given him the freedom of choice, something he realized now was not such an entitlement as one might have thought. With choice however, came any consequences resulting thereof. Thankfully he caught himself yesterday in realizing that the Autobots favor responsibility in the face of complications. Though for the spark of him he still didn't see the purpose of preserving those Mech soldiers. Bystander humans perhaps at least could have been argued to be innocent until convicted. Trained soldiers on the other hand knew exactly what they were getting into when they shot at giants. You get what you ask for.

Protecting humans that tried to dissect and kill Cybertronians… Hmph, their logic didn't make any sense at all. Why if someone were to attack him, he wouldn't hesitate to-

Frag. He halted his line of thought as he came to the realization that he had just come full circle in contradicting himself. A deeply irritated expression settled over his features as he sulked. He blamed the gross amount of free time he suddenly had in comparison to being Second in Command on the flagship vessel of an active army. It wasn't healthy for a bot to have so much spare time.

He found himself suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to talk to someone. At times like this he would have even settled for a common Vehicon soldier. Though he did made a point to avoid fraternizing with the drones too often lest they get overly comfortable around him. With a bored sigh he got to his feet and made his way towards the main chamber.

* * *

"So I told her that it looked more like she had draped some sort of dead animal around her shoulders and that she should shake it off before it started to stink. Can you image the look on her face?" Miko's face broke into an amused chuckle, recalling her own story as she fiddled with the laces on her boot.

"Mmhm," Jack trailed listlessly as he looked over his notes from class while still making an effort to seem like he wasn't intentionally ignoring Miko's presence. It was tricky business at times, but he managed. What finally grabbed his attention was when the girl's voice finally grew quiet. He looked up to see Starscream walk into the room, perhaps a little too casually.

"Uh, hey," The boy greeted somewhat awkwardly, hoping that his acknowledgment would carry over for the both of them since Miko now seemed intent on examining a freckle near the base of her wrist.

Starscream on the other hand didn't seem to notice as he skipped the greeting entirely.

"I figured I would find at least one of you here," the seeker addressed Jack.

"Yeah, it's kind of what we do," Jack stated. "It's a nice place to just get away from everything once in a while, you know?"

"Hmm, so what do you humans do exactly when you're not mucking around here then?"

"Well, we have school every weekday, and usually homework to do in the evenings. Whether certain people do it or not is another matter that the school likes to settle with detention," he nodded slightly towards Miko to which she stuck her tongue out at him. "Other than that, I have a part-time job at the local fast-food joint. Y'know, the glamorous life of a burger flipper."

"So you're worker class?" Starscream stated simply.

"Well uh, I guess…" Jack conceded, scratching the back of his head.

Saving the older teen from having to defend his position Miko finally spoke up, careful not to sound too interested. "So, what did you do back on Cybertron? Chimney sweep?"

"Hardly. I was a scientist before the war began. After tensions escalated I eventually became air commander of an elite group of energon seekers," he said with a hint of pride.

"So you're pretty good at finding energon?" Jack asked.

"I guess you could say that. Though we were more of a special task force in the field," he responded vaguely.

Miko gave a slight toss of her bangs. "Ooh, special task force. That must be why the bots want you on an energon scouting mission then. And here I thought it was just to get rid of you for a few hours."

"They what?" Starscream said blankly.

She merely shrugged, disengaging herself from the conversation once again.

"Why am I always the last to know about things that pertain to myself around this place?" The seeker sighed exasperatedly and stalked from the room to find someone else to ask about this.

Not a minute after he left, Optimus and Arcee came in through the opposite doorway, already deep in conversation. "But Optimus, why me? I mean, the two of us don't exactly have the best track record as far as cooperating goes," Arcee prompted in a somewhat hushed tone as she followed alongside the much larger mech. A slim card-like object was clutched in her hand.

"This is your decision to make, Arcee, even more so than the rest of us. It is part of every Cybertronian's core programming to have the ability to transform into their vehicle mode. Being stuck in robot mode for so long can begin to wear on a bot's mind, especially for aerials such as Starscream. I believe yesterday was evidence of that."

"So what am I supposed to do if he just flies off as soon as he gets set free?"

"My presence would do nothing to prevent such a thing from happening. If it is Starscream's wish to flee our offers of partnership at this point, then there is nothing more we can do." Sensing a remaining uncertainty within Arcee, Optimus added, "I believe that you are more than capable of this task. Only you can choose whether you are ready to put old wounds to rest."

Arcee fell silent, her stride slowing thoughtfully before she finally conceded. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I've been too hard on him. I still can't help but be hesitant after everything he's done, but I'm willing to give him a chance. If only to see that it was worth all the time we've given him." She looked down at the card in her hands as she spoke, unaware of Optimus' small smile as she absentmindedly traced a line of circuitry with her thumb.

The two continued on their way, their ensuing conversation becoming too distant for the kids to make out.

"Did you hear that?" Miko whispered fiercely at Jack from her position of twisting awkwardly over the back of the couch to view the two depart.

"Hear what?"

"What Optimus was just saying to Arcee."

"I was trying to respect their privacy," Jack said a bit defensively despite the fact that he had still overheard nearly everything.

Miko dismissed the sentiment with a brief puff of air before continuing. "They're planning to take off the resident Decepticon's wing clamp." She paused for Jack's nonexistent reaction. "As in, the only thing keeping him on the Autobot's good side in the first place!"

"Miko, there _are_ other reasons why Starscream would want to be on the Autobot's side you know."

"Don't you remember what happened the last time the bots let their guard down around him? It'll be 'double cross Tuesday' all over again!" She extenuated with a wild wave of her arms.

"Are you seriously still on that? Have you even considered that maybe you're just overreacting?"

"No listen, Optimus gave the key to Arcee to take care of. Out of all the bots, she's the one that still holds the most beef with Starscream and vise versa. If she finally decides to let him loose, then he'll go all psycho-nuts and slash the place up; you know, proportionally to how much hostility he was holding against us this whole time. Then everything goes to the pit and back and the day is ruined by Sir Stars for Brains."

Jack looked at her incredulously for a moment. "What?" He had to admit; even after spending so much time together, Miko was still able to lose him with her 'unique' trains of thought. He shook his head to clear it before continuing. "A lot's changed since then. Starscream's…" He trailed off as he tried to think of what he was meaning to say. He's different now? Loyal to the Autobots? Neither sounded right in his head. Sure he didn't really have anywhere else to go since the Decepticons disowned him, but now that he thought about it, no one really knew what Starscream's agenda was. He wasn't exactly a shining example of model behavior and was still far from predictable.

"I'm just saying." Miko left it at that with a crossing of her arms. Amazing, Jack thought, that someone who was so enamored with the idea of giant robots and destruction could be so hostile towards a single individual."

Footsteps hearkened the return of three individuals, and by the sounds coming from the hall it seemed that Starscream had finally run into Optimus and Arcee in one of back rooms. He walked a few paces behind the two, looking downtrodden that his second instance of being allowed outside the base was merely to scout for energon.

Optimus approached the platform area where the two kids gave him their attentions. "Bulkhead should be back soon to take you home for the night, Miko. Jack, I'm sure there would be room for one more if you need to get back right away. Otherwise Arcee is going out on a scouting mission with Starscream for the rest of the afternoon."

Jack spoke up. "I can wait until she gets back. I don't have to be home 'til nine-thirty anyway. Besides, I focus better here."

"Alright Mr. Model Student, I'll see you in a few." Arcee jested with a small smile which Jack returned somewhat half-heartedly.

* * *

"Before Megatron returned from his three year excursion into the outer reaches of this galaxy, I ran the entire Decepticon vessel. Everything from crew management to keeping tabs on Earth. He assigned me specifically with the task of maintaining order among his troops, ensuring that his regime didn't slip in his absence. Little did he know that I would find one of the most profitable energon mining sites thus far on this planet! And what did he manage to accomplish during his three years in space? He brought back space rocks to reanimate the dead. Something, I might add, which he suggested that _I_ might be his first test subject for.

"So I gave him a tour of the mine once he got back, thousands of cubes worth already excavated with the deepest veins not even tapped yet, all in the glorious name of Lord Megatron of course. And- I guess you already know how this ends seeing as your entire team was there looking forrr…" he trailed off and made a hasty throat clearing sound. "Ah, seeing as your team was _present_ ," he amended before continuing. "He forced me to blow up the entire mine, refined energon and all! Just to make sure that if he couldn't have it, no one could. My entire three years gone to waste just because he didn't feel like defending the position! And don't even get me started on what happened after we got back to the lab."

Arcee spoke up from her position behind Starscream before he could get into another rant. "You know, you should really be telling all this to Optimus instead of me. He's the one who ultimately makes sense of all the information you've been giving us."

"I doubt that he'd find much use out of my self-pitying anecdotes," he responded a bit morosely.

She shrugged slightly. "You never know."

The two walked at a leisurely pace through the lightly forested area, Starscream taking point while Arcee trailed behind with one optic on her handheld scanner. He looked back at her again, noting that the look on her face seemed unrelated to the task at hand. He could only guess what she was thinking about with the other half of her processor. He hoped she wasn't too worked up about the fact that he had almost mentioned Cliffjumper again by mistake. That seemed to still be a touchy subject.

They rounded a bend in the rocky ridge they were following and he heard a rustling noise nearby. Some sort of animal, he guessed. It'd probably never even seen humans before, much less a pair of Cybertronians invading its territory. For some reason the thought amused him. He never got back to finishing his narrative on what happened after Megatron had him blow the mine.

A few minutes passed before either of them spoke up again. "Hey Scream, I've got a surprise for you."

The corner of Starscream's mouth drew into a frown at the far too casual nickname that had recently been coined by Bulkhead. He supposed that he should put a stop to it sooner rather than later before the others grew too accustomed to using it, but for now he turned to see what Arcee was talking about. What met his gaze made him stop dead in his tracks, his optics catching on the small shimmering card held firmly between Arcee's two fingers. "That's-" he began before realizing that the item in question was exactly what he thought it was.

"Right," she began, scarcely moving a single piston as she locked optics with him, "you realize what I'm giving to you then." The intonation marking not so much a question as it was a statement.

"The key to my wing clamp…"he breathed, hardly twitching before Arcee jerked the key card back as if she half expected him to snatch it and run off.

Arcee didn't break her gaze for even a nanoclik, blue optics trained onto his own with an intensity only deepened with their subtle hints of violet. "No, this is your freedom, your right to choose what side you're on. This is our trust that you won't stab each and every one of us in the back as soon as the opportunity presents itself."

Starscream stood quietly; internalizing the fact that the femme was offering him something he desperately wanted, while at the same time giving him a word of warning. Upon consideration he wasn't entirely sure he was comfortable with that. A shadow of mistrust flickered across his features but he did not allow himself to draw back from the item. There would be no show of weakness. "Funny, the last time something like this happened I recall it coming to blows."

Arcee's face gave a small twitch at the recollection of the grounds behind their past skirmish, but she was determined to stick by her decision. "You want it or not?"

Surely this was just another in a series of favors designed to foster trust. The Autobots didn't want him, they wanted his intel. Coordinates, weaknesses, all matter of inside information. They knew though, that the only way to gain access to everything he had to offer was to give him everything in return. And was it not a fair trade? Not quite, he realized, considering they were the ones who imprisoned him in the first place. They owed it to him to set him free. So then was it guilt that was driving them to release him, or some sort of misplaced self-righteousness?

Starscream eyed the key card. The memory of the jolt of euphoria that had run through him yesterday was beginning to override any of his misgivings about the situation. As thrilling as that short-lived act of lifting from the ground was, it was not enough to satiate his needs. Seekers were built to fly.

Without a word Starscream reached forward to take the card, examining it briefly before swiping it through the locking mechanism on his wing clamp. The clamp fell to the ground with a loud crunch. Then, taking his time to allow energon to flow freely once more into the previously pinched conduits, Starscream unfolded his wings to a more natural position, a faint breeze running along their newfound liberation. Nothing had ever felt sweeter. He heard Arcee saying something beside him. Something about 'air support' and 'aiding the Autobots'; it didn't really matter. Nothing mattered but up.

"Starscream are you even lis-" Arcee began before she was cut off by a flurry of limbs and fuselage as Starscream transformed into his jet mode. The expulsion of air from his afterburners kicked up a maelstrom of gravel that showered across the two-wheeler's plating. Arcee drew up an arm to shield her optics from the sun as she tried to track his path, but neither wing nor fin met her gaze. He was already gone.

* * *

"Soundwave, you rang?" Airachnid entered one of the main computer chambers aboard the Nemesis where the quiet mech spent most of his working hours. The spider-bot rarely spent any amount of time in this part of the ship if she could help it. She didn't particularly care to even be around Soundwave much less work with him, and she was even less interested in assisting him with his assigned task of locating the missing Starscream. But a direct order from Megatron wasn’t something to ignore.

Airachnid placed her hands on her hips as she came to a halt, awaiting the reason she was summoned. Soundwave turned to regard her impatient stare with his own blank one. "You're going to have to speak up if I'm to have any idea what you're trying to tell me," She finally said with playful impudence.

Ignoring her quip, he pulled up a map on his faceplate. Airachnid watched as two icons representing Breakdown and herself were placed next to a set of coordinates above an Autobot sigil. She rolled her optics slightly, annoyed at the fact that she understood his message perfectly.

"Fine. We're going to need a ground bridge to get the big oaf to the surface though."

* * *

Starscream shrieked through the cooling air, the heat and pull of the ground gone below. The thrill of erupting from the confines of gravity into the freedom of open sky overtook him. The wind whipped across his wings, finding little resistance in his sleek form. He let the air lift him higher and higher, his fins angling slightly to whip himself into a tight upward spiral and break through a sparse layer of stratus clouds into thinner air. There he leveled out and increased his speed, breaking the sound barrier with a loud crack. After what seemed like only a few minutes into his flight, Starscream heard Arcee's voice call out to him over his Autobot comlink channel, tainting the powerful roar of his engines. _Nosy Autobots._ He turned off his receiver and gave his flight path another boost.

Back on the ground Arcee stood idle near a few small trees, her optics gazing absentmindedly at the sky. She had predicted that Starscream would want a short ride, and she didn't want to deny him of that after being confined for so long. It was she who had given him that freedom after all. Something troubled her though. The nagging thought in her processor wasn't the fact that she had just set free the one responsible for off-lining Cliffjumper. She wasn't even bothered by the possibility that he might not come back. It was the fact that she felt good about letting him go.

Arcee's shadow grew longer and she began to pace. One call wouldn't hurt. Just to see, perhaps encourage him to come back sooner rather than later. After all, they did still have an energon deposit to scout out, and Jack was waiting for her to return so she could drive him home.

She pressed two fingers lightly to her com link. "Arcee to Starscream, how's it going up there?" She let a moment of silence pass before making another go at it. "Arcee to Starscream, do you copy?" No response. She let herself feel annoyed, trying to mask the small fear that was growing in the back of her mind. What if he didn't come back? If he went back to rejoin the Decepticons, her decision to free him would mean nothing. Would she be held accountable for losing one of the Autobots' greatest assets in years? No, Optimus would understand. Her conscience on the other hand would take it as a personal failure. She tried once more at getting a signal through, but got no answer.

Intaking a breath of air, she told herself that she would wait for him until sundown. That still gave him almost an hour to return. After that she would head back to base and break the news to the others. She brushed past a large clump of bushes and a small scuffling sound met her audio receptors. "Who's there?" She demanded, whipping out her arm cannons as she scanned the area for any sign of movement.

She prodded the brush again with the tip of her pede causing a thrashing of branches. "Whoa whoa! It's just me." Jack emerged from his hiding place in the brush, holding his hands up defensively as he stared wide-eyed up at her gun barrels.

"Jack! What are you doing out here?" Arcee asked with concern as she withdrew her guns back into her forearms.

He picked a few twigs out his hair, delaying his response for a couple extra seconds. "Well um, it was kind of Miko's idea. She-" he began before seeming to change his mind. "I mean… I was worried that Starscream might try to pull something while you two were out here alone, so I followed you through the portal," he said, shouldering the blame. "I guess I let my doubts get the best of me and I thought that maybe I could help somehow if something went wrong," he admitted. "Pretty dumb, huh?" he added a bit sheepishly.

"Yep." His guardian agreed simply before allowing her expression to soften in a small smile. "It was sweet of you to go through the trouble though. Dumb, but sweet."

Jack blushed slightly and resolved to _not_ take Miko's advice on the more important matters of life. "So what now? Do you think he's gone for good?"

"I'm not sure." Arcee admitted. "It makes sense that he'd want to go for a quick flight, but he's not responding to any of my calls."

"It's been over half an hour." Jack commented, peering at the time on his phone under the shade of his hand. "Maybe we should contact Optimus."

"We'll wait just a little bit longer." Arcee thought for a moment before activating her comlink once more. "Arcee to Starscream, please respond."

They both stood still for a moment as only silence returned over the airwaves. After a long moment, a staticy voice broke over Arcee's comlink. "This is Air Commander Starscream, rendezvousing at your coordinates in due time."

"In due… What the in the pit is that supposed to mean? You've been out there for ages!"

"Uh, Arcee," Jack started hesitantly. "I don't mean to interrupt your conversation but..." He pointed off in the distance to a large blocky vehicle roaring towards them over the roadless terrain, kicking up a large dust storm in its wake.

"Scrap," Arcee cursed, surveying the situation with troubled optics. "Jack, find cover."

"But-" He began to argue, not wanting to leave her in the face of impending danger.

"Now!" She shot him with a fierce stare making sure he did as he was told before reopening her comlink channel, he gaze now focusing in on the fast approaching vehicle. "Arcee to Starscream. Get back here right now. That's an order!" she commanded tersely. From the lack of response her spark sank a few more micrometers. If their newfound 'ally' was MIA then so be it, then she would have to settle for the next best option.

A familiar rumbling shook the ground beneath Arcee's feet, cutting off her call to base before she even patched it through and Airachnid's spinning form burst from the soil. Leaping out of the way from the spider-bot's flurry of unfurling legs, Arcee narrowly dodged a stab at her face from one of her foe’s razor sharp limbs. Only after she hastily backed away and felt a wet trickle run down the side of her jaw did she realize that the blow had come a little closer to its target than she had initially thought. She reached up to feel the area with her fingers and felt a shallow gouge on the side of her head right where her communications center would have been located.

Airachnid brought her lips together in a satisfied smile. "Oh, did I do that? Guess you won't be inviting any friends to watch me extinguish your spark." She lunged forward and Arcee braced for the impact. Just before the rivalry would have collided in a tangle of blades and limbs, a huge force caught Arcee in the side, effectively tackling her out of harm's way. The two landed heavily, the larger bot tumbling further due to his momentum. Blinking the sand from her optics, Arcee looked to her would be rescuer.

"Breakdown, you bolt-brained idiot!" Airachnid yelled.

The one-eyed mech was unapologetic as he pushed himself up off the ground, casting a quick glance to make sure his target wasn't getting up too fast. "You said we were going to attack together," he retorted, more than a bit offended that his teammate didn't appreciate his work.

"Yes," she began testily, "but we settled this beforehand. I'll handle Arcee while you take on Starscream.” She glanced around a bit, passing over Arcee who was now staggering back to her feet. "Speaking of which, don't tell me he's already flown the coop. He does have a nasty tendency to be rather selfish in the face of danger." She smirked a little and cocked her head. "Of course, perhaps it _is_ better this way. We wouldn't want you to get too attached to yet another doomed partner now would we?"

Arcee scowled and sent a few blaster shots her way, each one of them missing by a hand's breadth.

"Oh?" She remarked simply, amused at her prey's reaction. "Don't tell me you actually trusted him? You of all bots should know better," she scolded.

Arcee remained stoic in the face of Airachnid's all too familiar taunts, keeping a hard eye on her adversary's movements as they circled around each other. "The one thing I 'know' is that if it weren't for you, Tailgate would still be around," she said vehemently.

"Are you _still_ on about that?" Airachnid offered a small smirk. "If it weren't for Starscream, Cliffjumper would still be around." Pleased with reaction she garnered from that statement, she gave a quick signal to Breakdown. Arcee snapped back to reality and realized too late that she was now positioned between her two opponents. The small Autobot stood her ground as the two rushed towards either side of her until at the last second she leapt out of the way. Also avoiding the ensuing head-on collision with skilled nimbleness, Airachnid narrowly redirected herself out of the way of her barreling companion, using instead her momentum to latch onto his arm and swing around her fellow Decepticon to land a powerful kick to Arcee's chest, knocking her back to the rocks behind them.

Before the blue femme could so much as lift her head up, Airachnid hauled her to her feet, shooting a thick webbing from her palms to pin Arcee to the face of the rocks. Arcee struggled furiously against her bonds as Airachnid walked up to look her in the eye.

"You’re always such a fighter; that's what I like about you. Interesting until the very end. Now, I know that you're not one for idle chatter, so I'll make this brief. Either tell us where you Autobots are hiding Starscream, or-" She trailed off, running a set of sharp fingertips across the length of Arcee's jaw line. Her nemesis flinched from the touch and Airachnid's lips drew up into a small smile. Oh how she loved messing with her prey.

"How about you tell me why Megatron is so interested in getting back the bot who tried to slag him over?"

Airachnid responded with a swift backhand to the blue femme's face. Arcee gasped at the sting and Airachnid smiled sweetly. "You're hardly in a position to do the questioning around here. If you would just tell me what I need to know, we could avoid this whole messy business." She raised her hand again in preparation for another blow when a quick scuffling sounded from somewhere behind her.

“Hey, I found something!”

With a curious turn of her head Airachnid’s face lit up at the sight of the figure that Breakdown had just flushed out from behind a stand of scrubby bushes.

"So you did bring little Jack along. He does tend to make things more interesting, doesn't he? Breakdown, make yourself useful for once and collect the human for me."

Breakdown pounded a fist into his other hand with zeal, a smile lighting across his face. "With pleasure." Jack's eyes widened as the hulking Cybertronian stooped down and he scrambled away from his reaching hands.

Arcee struggled against her bonds, ignoring Airachnid as she strained to make sure that Jack continued to avoid Breakdown's lurching pursuit. From what she could observe, the large Decepticon was having a hard time keeping up with the quick turns and small size of his target. When she saw that the human had a brief moment to catch his breath she called out to him. "Jack, your cell phone! Find somewhere to hide and call base for backup!"

A flicker of annoyance flitted across Airachnid's face and she roughly grabbed Arcee's chin to turn her focus back to her. "Now now, no helping." She turned to Breakdown. "Stop toying around and just grab him already!"

Breakdown blinked his one good eye for a second before converting into his vehicle mode. Any headway that had been gained by Jack was quickly lost as the vehicle quickly corralled him into a corner. Changing back into robot mode, Breakdown grabbed onto the human's legs and hoisted him up as if he were no more than a rag doll.

"Jack!" Arcee pulled against her restraints once more as she watched her human partner be captured. A hard blow connected with the side of her head, pounding it into the rock she was bound to. Searing pain erupted from the site but was quickly masked by darkness spreading from the edges of her vision.

Her automatic systems flashed a warning of imminent stasis lock as the world went dark around her. Her body fell limp and she could faintly make out a voice saying, "You know, I never did get my endangered species from this world..."


	8. Noise

_Colored shapes danced before her half-shuttered optics, their edges blurred by the constant dull throb in the back of her helm. Her processor swam with half-coherent thoughts of consciousness and her glossa felt thick and out of place in her mouth as it moved sluggishly against her dental plates, trying to find the purchase to call out to whatever was making all that noise in the distance. Her vocal processors didn't seem to want to respond to her commands and the air passed through them silently. A sharp spike of pain invaded her consciousness and she slipped back into stasis._

"Arcee! Arcee, wake up!" Jack shouted, writhing in his half-cocooned state.

Breakdown sidled into his range of vision. "Squirm around all you want. There's no way a human like you could break out of that stuff." The mech poked Jack in the side with a large digit causing him to swing wildly side to side from where he was suspended by his wrists.

Jack continued his attempts to wriggle from his bonds, but did little more than perhaps cause the ties around his wrists to tighten even further. "Yeah? Well there's no harm in trying," he gritted out through clenched teeth. The tips of his fingers were beginning to grow cold from being suspended above his head, and the silken threads, though soft, dug into the backs of his hands. The sun was starting to creep down towards the edge of the horizon, casting a deep orange radiance on the back right side of his neck. The surrounding hills would bring nightfall early and the temperature was already starting to drop.

He twisted his body once more in an effort to swing his bound legs high enough to push against the webbing that suspended him from the tree branch. It was a long drop down, but anything was better than waiting for who knows what was in store for him. Failing to ab-crunch his legs above his head, he fell limp and exhausted. No way was that ever going to work. He craned his head desperately over his shoulder to see Arcee still slumped unconscious in her bonds. They were both on their own.

_Whispering. There was whispering- no, mumbling nearby. Impossible words that swam through her processor without any decipherable meaning. The constant tone cycling through her left audio receptor did little to help her interpret them. A blinding light shone in her face and she winced, rolling her head to the side in a vain attempt to escape its erratic path. It was as if the sun were darting around inside her very optics. The flat tone intensified, bringing with it a swath of white noise that masked out any further thoughts._  
  
A noise to Jack's left made him jump as Airachnid approached his position and lifted herself up with her extra appendages so she could look him in the eye. She ran a cool finger along Jack's jawline, sending a flurry of tingles throughout his spine. He drew a shaky breath, fear tightening his chest. A small movement caught the corner of his eye and he strained to see his guardian stirring weakly where she was bound. Bright light flashed across her closed optics and she scrunched up her face slightly at the sun's reflection shining off of Airachnid's mirrored shoulders.

The Decepticon femme peered at him. "It's a shame that I have to kill you. You make for an interesting prey, but I never did get that human head for my collection. It's only fair for you to volunteer after destroying all of my hard earned hunting trophies when you blew up my ship."

The Jack's thoughts raced, trying to come up with something, anything to get him out of this situation. "But, don't you want to hunt me down fair and square first? I mean, it was Breakdown who actually caught me," he offered hopefully.

This earned a small laugh from her. "I like a good sport Jack, but I'm not stupid. Besides, it wouldn't be much of a chase now would it? You're running out of tricks."

Jack recoiled as Airachnid poised one of her spider legs near his chest, just close enough so he could feel the sharp tip needle through the fabric of his shirt. With machine-like precision, the limb sliced a neat path from an area below his sternum up until it stopped just shy of his right collarbone. Jack drew a tight breath. Without looking he could tell that she scraped at least one of his ribs. He bit back a cry at the hot pain erupting at the site.

_A dull pulsing sound caught her attention and Arcee tried to concentrate long enough to pinpoint where it was coming from. Its throbbing reverberated through her chest, tingling the very sensory circuits in her outer limbs. It was almost like... Oh, right. Her sparkbeat. Now that she was becoming more aware she realized that all the auditory signals she was receiving were self generated. From the slight hum of her energon circulatory systems to the sporadic clicks caused by Primus knows what else. She wondered for a moment if she had somehow gone deaf to the outside world. The flat tone remained as an audible reminder of the ache still present at the side and back of her cranium.  
_  
Jack felt a few tears run down his face, falling off near the tip of his nose, their warmth cooling rapidly in the evening air. He laboriously brought his head up, straining at its tremendous weight. The simplest actions seemed impossible and his every move was accompanied by a fresh flare of pain across his chest. He gazed foggily at the femme's mirror-smooth face, distracted by his own warped reflection. God he looked terrible. There were still twigs in his hair as it clung to his sweat-soaked forehead. His eyes trailed down to the gash now staining his shirt burgundy and he squeezed his eyes shut.

Airachnid surveyed her work. "There, now that wasn't so bad was it? The good news is that I missed all of your vitals. Unfortunately this next time you might not be as lucky. I tend to get a bit, overzealous," she said with a chuckle, circling around him in close examination to find the perfect spot to strike next. Finding a suitable area near the small of his back, she gave a soft hiss so close that Jack could smell the metallic scent on her hot breath. "This is going to hurt." She spoke low and soft, her voice offering no comfort as she poised an acid-tipped digit.

Breakdown watched the pair from his post of guarding the captive Arcee. He made no move when the human cried out, arching its back in an effort to get as far away from Airachnid's caustic touch as possible. The large mech never particularly liked humans, especially since his recent incident with Mech's dissection team. He knew Airachnid had some sort of personal vendetta against this one in particular, though what exactly had passed between them was beyond the few details she had been inclined to share. Despite this, he had a feeling that she would have enjoyed the act of torturing the small male even without their prior history. Honestly, it freaked him out a bit that she could take such pleasure from it.

"Airachnid, Megatron told you not to get sidetracked. Recovering Starscream is our top priority." Breakdown admonished, hoping to distract her away from her unsettling task.

The spider-bot made a face. "I know you can't see very well now Breakdown, but Starscream isn't here at the moment. Perhaps little Jack knows where he is?"

"Then maybe you should try actually questioning him!"

"Didn't I? Guess I forgot," she dismissed with an air of innocence.

"You know what I think? I think that you're just using this mission as an excuse to fulfill some sort of sick fixation of yours," he gestured accusingly.

"Breakdown, you insult me," Airachnid held a hand to her chest in faux astonishment. "Are you saying that I don't have the best interests of the Decepticons at heart? I all but live to serve our Lord Megatron." Her optics narrowed. "If you think that I'm lying, perhaps you would care to hear more of my argument."

Airachnid took a step towards the larger mech, her spider legs curled threateningly above her head. Breakdown in turn swapped out his hammer in preparation for the confrontation. The two stood face to face, both daring the other to move first. After a long moment Breakdown withdrew his weapon and shot the femme a look of disgust before turning back to guard his charge. While infighting was not strictly forbidden among the Decepticon ranks, Breakdown wasn't about to ruin their mission by looking for trouble. And he especially wasn't going to be blamed for anything this she-spider caused.

Airachnid smirked as the large mech turned his back on her, taking his submission as a small victory for herself. How easy it would be to take him out before he turned back around, blame it all on the Autobots...

Raining down from the skies above, a quick series of blasts seared across the Breakdown’s plating causing him to stumble forward. Before he could regain his balance, a missile collided with the ground next to him, the explosion of fire and dirt making way for a silver form that dropped from the skies, smashing hard into Breakdown's back and driving him face first into the ground.

_Arcee felt a huge crash shudder the rock face she was bound to. Her vision wavered with an orange haze obscuring the outline of Starscream rising from where he had finished suppressing Breakdown. A dull thought swam to the surface. 'He- came back...' Her processor ran sluggishly and she struggled to concentrate of the words now being exchanged between him and Airachnid.  
_  
"Starscream," Airachnid began as the seeker hopped neatly down from atop Breakdown's unmoving form, "you never were much for aim were you? The Autobot is over there. Although I'd pretty much wrapped everything up before you arrived," she joked with a coy smile, nudging Jack's body causing it to swing back and forth.

"Airachnid, I see Lord Megatron has you doing his dirty work again." Starscream stated blandly, eyeing the spider-bot's handiwork.

The femme narrowed her optics. "I wouldn't have bothered, but he seems to think this is a high priority mission. We wouldn't be here at all if a certain bot hadn't gotten himself captured by the enemy-" She paused to look at him. "Mhm, or should I even call you a prisoner?" A corner of Airachnid's mouth pulled up as she noted the somewhat defensive position the seeker had taken in between Arcee and herself. "It would save a lot of time at this point if we could settle where your loyalties truly lie."

Starscream didn’t respond for a moment, his attention darting behind him to where Arcee was bound, her optics half open and struggling to focus long enough to make contact with his own. He looked away before she managed and instead looked down at Breakdown's chassis sprawled at her feet, singed and battered, but overall operational once he came to. The seeker returned his gaze to Airachnid and noticed that she had taken a couple paces closer to him. He drew back a few steps to keep the distance between them.

"Autobot, Decepticon, it doesn't matter. Both have employed flimsy excuses to validate treating me as a prisoner. Why should I care what happens to either side?" he dismissed cynically.

"You don't care at all? Even I care one way or another which side wins the war. Much like you, I primarily look out for myself, but in the interest of my personal freedoms I choose to aid the Decepticons. Without any alliances, a bot would only get caught in the crossfire. Again I ask, on what side have you placed your loyalties?" She eyed him as he remained silent for a very long cycle.

"Maybe I can help you along with a different question. Do you care if this boy lives or dies?" She took a step closer to Jack who was currently biting his lip from the chilling pain in his chest and lower back, taking in shallow breaths because anything more substantial threatened to push his consciousness over the edge from the pain. "Would you care if I were to torture him in front of you?" She brought a spider leg up to where Jack's legs were encased in silk and he kicked weakly in her direction, missing by several feet. She swiftly dripped a small portion of her venom on the outer casing, its acidic effects sizzling immediately through the webbing. A short moment passed before Jack let out a pained yell as the acid found his left ankle. He twisted ferociously in the air, anything to move his leg away from the substance that was already burning at the outer layer of skin. An agonizing five seconds later the acid had neutralized, leaving Jack shuddering in his bonds.

Starscream watched impassively, not even raising an optic ridge as the boy whimpered. Airachnid studied the two for a moment. If she was disappointed at the seeker's lack of reaction she didn't show it. Instead she scuttled over to where Arcee was beginning to return to consciousness. With a soft moan the blue femme struggled to lift her head, the cerulean light in her optics flickering. Airachnid raised a spider limb up to where it rested near the base of the two-wheeler's helm.

"And you wouldn't mind if I were to..." She flicked the sharp edge of the leg ever so slightly to carve a delicate line on the side of the two-wheeler's neck. Immediately, a small bead of energon appeared at the site, lingering for a moment before trickling down the outside of its conduit. Arcee groaned and pulled back, mumbling something neither of them could make out.

Starscream gave a small smirk to mask his growing derision. "If I didn't know better I'd say you came out here just for the sake of having a little fun."

"I try to take time out of my busy schedule to do something for myself once in a while. Something I'm sure you're quite familiar with. Though why you would even consider teaming up with the Autobots is beyond me. Are you still sore about losing your old position as second in command? Is that it? The truth is, I never even wanted it. Being tied down in the service of another just isn't my thing. But as events played out, I ended up being the one most fit for the job."

"Well, look at you, taking one for the team," he countered with a scowl, his air of indifference breaking. It was apparent that her words were beginning to strike a little too close to home.

"If you come quietly I'll even put in a good word for you with Megatron. He really does value my opinion you know. I'll tell him that you didn't even try to fight back. So eager to return to groveling at his feet you'll do anything to get back in with the Decepticons. Perhaps eventually he'll promote you from maintenance drone to one of the Vehicon generals. I bet you'd look great with an automobile alt-mode."

Starscream growled and lunged at her, flexing his digits so that their sharp tips dug into the gaps of her shoulder plating. With a mighty wrench, he tore one of the mirrored panels from their mounting before getting in a few more external slashes. The arachnid's fuchsia optics widened in surprise as she struggled to kick the feral seeker off, finally succeeding in knocking him away with a wild swing of a spider leg.

The two figures fell away from each other for a moment; Airachnid taking quick stock of the deep gouges leading up to the gap in her plating. Energon flowed at a slow trickle from the wounds.

"You're right. I do care about one thing," Starscream began, flicking a few drops of blue energon from his fingertips, never once taking his optics from Airachnid as they circled each other, "and that's making sure that you don't walk out of here online. Even if I were still a part of the Decepticons, I would gladly be cast out a second time just so long as I got the opportunity to kick you and your eight limbs halfway back to Cybertron!" With a snap he transformed out his arm blasters and let loose a flurry of shots.

Airachnid dodged quickly, taking to the trees as each blast came within a hair's breadth of hitting her. She called down to him from her perch among the foliage. "So I take that as an official refusal of my invitation to reenlist?"

Starscream shot his second missile to where her voice was emanating and satisfaction lit across his features when a short yell accompanied the explosion, followed by her leggy figure crashing to the ground. With an anticipating grin, Starscream headed towards her position, his knife-like fingers curling in and out as he drew nearer. This was what he wanted, to finally get revenge on the one who was partially responsible for his leaving the Decepticons. He raised his hand.

"St-Starscream..." a faltering voice called from behind him, its edges laced with static. He turned to see Arcee pulling weakly against her bonds, her optics meeting his own. For a long moment he kept his clawed servo raised, ready to strike, until ever so slowly the hard edges of his expression began to relax and the hand fell limp to his side. The moment was short lived however as Arcee's optics widened at something behind him. A rush of motion flashed across the corner of his vision and he whipped back to his foe.

"Ah, no sudden movements now." Airachnid warned. Her violet fingertips, scorched from the seeker's missile, were now wrapped around Jack's torso with one of her extra limbs pressed against his throat. "We wouldn't want any accidents, now would we?"

"You're resorting to human hostages now?" Starscream spat out.

"Like you're one to judge," she accused. "Besides, he's not a hostage. He's my getaway." With a swift slashing motion Airachnid cut the ties binding Jack's cocoon to its tree branch sending him plummeting towards the earth while she launched herself into a midair transformation. With only seconds before the human hit the ground Starscream reacted out of instinct and threw himself forward, breaking the boy's fall a split-second before impact. Starscream on the other hand, hit the ground hard with his arms outstretched in front of him and skidded to a halt earning a face-full of dirt.

The human boy still in hand, the seeker rose to his feet and looked up at Airachnid's sleek helicopter mode retreating in the distance. For a moment he was overcome by the urge to make chase. Her chopper form was no match for the pure speed of his own jet mode. Before he could make up his mind a voice called out to him.

"Starscream, is Jack alright?" Arcee asked haltingly, still bound to the rock. Worry was written all over her features and it was clear that she was still having a hard time focusing her vision on the pair.

The seeker looked up wistfully one last time before making his way over to her, holding out the human. Jack was still conscious, but only just. Even Starscream with his limited knowledge of organic anatomy could see that he was in a lot of pain. Taking care not to nick the boy's skin, he cut the ties that bound his wrists and legs together, to which Jack responded by weakly curling into a more natural fetal position.

Arcee looked at her injured junior partner with a spark-trodden expression. "Jack..." She waited as Starscream set the human gently on the ground beside them before slicing through her bonds. The two-wheeler picked the last of the sticky webbing from her chassis and tried to take a few shaky steps to where Jack lay. Stumbling a bit, she found herself instead being caught by Starscream's hand, and rather than immediately pulling away, she remained at his side for a few seconds until her stabilizing servos were able to support her weight. She then took the last couple steps to her human partner and knelt down beside him placing a reassuring smile on her face.

"Alright Jack, we're going to get you back to base. You're safe now," she said gently, as much for her own benefit as his.

Jack winced and looked up at her in kind. "Glad to- see you're okay too."

Arcee gently scooped him up in her servos and stood using the nearby rock for support.

"Do you want me to carry him?" Starscream offered, noting her difficulties.

"No!" She replied a bit too quickly. Catching herself, she held Jack a little bit closer to her chest. "I- just want to make sure he’s okay. Nothing against you or anything."

Starscream nodded as he changed the subject. "What do we do about Breakdown here?" He gestured to the nearby 'Con who was still out cold.

"We don't have anywhere to contain a mech that size back at base." After a moment of thought she added, "Nor would we have reason to I suppose."

"And I presume it wouldn't be right to offline him here and now?"

She shook her head with a small knowing smile. "Not while he's unconscious like this."

Starscream sighed and took one last look at the fallen mech. "You Autobots really are terrible, you know that?"

"It's all a matter of perspective," she returned. "Now let's get back to base. We need to get Jack some medical attention. You'll have to call in though. Airachnid disabled my comlink unit."

"Oh, right..." Starscream answered, a deep seed of guilt plummeting in his chest. He had forgotten to turn the receiver back on after he deactivated again it during his flight. It dawned on him that that one simple action nearly cost both Arcee and her human partner their lives. But they were fine now. That's what mattered, right?

One call later and they found themselves walking through the blue-green portal that opened before them. While Arcee refused to let Starscream carry Jack for her, she graciously accepted a supporting servo while her equilibrium sensors were still recovering.

"Arcee, Starscream! We've been wondering where you guys got off to. You should have said you were bringin' Jack along." Bulkhead greeted them as soon as the two bots were coming out of the portal. He then noticed the labor in Arcee's footsteps and her focus on the small figure she held cradled in her arms. "W-what happened? If Starscream pulled anything..." Bulkhead began, taking a menacing step towards the seeker who entered the base close behind the femme.

Starscream stood his ground, narrowing his optics in return. "And what if I did?" he challenged.

"Starscream had nothing to do with this," Arcee stated quickly to nip any confrontations in the bud. The last thing they needed right now was to spread accusations when there were more pressing matters to be resolved. She brushed past Bulkhead to where Ratchet stood next to the ground bridge controls. "Jack's hurt. I'm not sure how bad it is."

The medic's optics widened at the sight of Jack's battered form. "By the Allspark... What happened? Actually, never mind. Just get him over to the table." He motioned with a hand and hastened to gather supplies.

Arcee laid Jack as gently as she could onto the Cybertronian sized examination table, his curled figure seeming even smaller against the titanic steel bed. She noticed a small amount of a sticky substance on her fingers. Upon a closer examination her optic ridges scrunched with worry at the unfamiliar sight of red blood. "Ratchet, I think we should call his mother. She'd probably be a lot more qualified for something like this. She is a human nurse after all."

"J-June?" The doctor paused mid-search for his medical tools, slightly flustered. "Well, I suppose that would make sense," he responded with a slightly downtrodden expression before glancing down at his smallest pair of forceps, roughly the size of gardening shears. "Yes, it would be best if we let her handle something like this," he admitted.

* * *

"Well, he should be fine for the moment," June spoke, brushing the hair from her eyes as she straightened up from cleaning and dressing Jack's multiple injuries. She was more than a little shaken. This is exactly what she was afraid of when she first found out about her son's secret daytime activities among the Autobots. Back then they had told her, assured her over and over that he would be fine; that they would keep him safe no matter the cost. Concern clouded her brow as she surveyed her work, her fingers combing absentmindedly through her son's hair for the hundredth time as she looked down at his sleeping face.

She squeezed her eyes shut for moment before turning her attention up to where Ratchet had begun to work on Arcee's injuries now that the she was satisfied that her partner was taken care of. June's expression hardened as she took on an authoritative tone. "He may be stable now, but he has a lot of recovery time ahead of him," she said, looking up accusingly to the two bots towering above her. "I don't know what on earth you were thinking in letting him go with on such a dangerous mission. He could have died out there! Never mind the scars that he'll have for rest of his life."

Arcee looked guiltily off to the side. "I'm sorry June. I didn't mean to-"

The human woman stopped her, rubbing the area above her right temple wearily. "Explanations can come later. The important thing right now is that I get him home so he can get some rest." She started wheeling the gurney over to where her car sat parked next to the ground bridge, the motion stirring Jack from his slumber just enough so he could blearily help take some of his own weight off his mother's shoulders as she helped him into the back seat. Once settled, he took one last weary look up at Arcee, but seemed to be at a loss for anything to say before the door sealed shut behind him.

"Keep us posted?" Arcee asked anxiously. June paused in consideration on her way around to the driver's side before finally giving a curt nod. Without another word, she got behind the wheel and departed through the open ground bridge.

A collective weight lifted from the room as the ground bridge closed with a slight sucking noise. "Now that that's taken care of…" Ratchet turned to the slightly depressed looking Arcee, preparing for a more thorough examination of her injuries. "I tried to contact both of you several times. What happened?"

Arcee turned her helm so the doctor could better examine the shallow gouge on the side of her head. "Airachnid disabled my comlink system before I could call for backup. She caught me off guard."

"And Starscream? Couldn't he have called for backup?" Ratchet prodded. Arcee merely shook her head that she didn't know and looked over to where the seeker had been quietly sitting off to the side before June came. The medic followed her gaze, honestly having forgotten that Starscream was even present, but saw that he had somehow managed to slip out of the room during all the commotion.

* * *

Starscream slunk into his quarters, carefully sliding the door shut behind him. Once inside the room he leaned his back against the door with a long exhale and squeezed his optics tightly shut. The fact that he was finally able to flatten his wings to either side again hardy even registered. It felt he’d lived through an entire solar cycle over the past two hours. He turned over the events in his processor. He couldn’t help but wonder what portion of the evening he would be held responsible for.

Airachnid and Breakdown showing up was no doubt a result of his presence among the Autobots; that much he could not deny. But surely the Autobots would not hold him accountable for the assaults of Arcee and her human pet. Though Bulkhead had jumped to conclusions right away, he took a bit of solace in the fact that Arcee had been willing to speak out on his behalf.

He remembered for a moment the sight of the two of them in Airachnid’s clutches.

_Slag_. Starscream pushed himself away from the sealed door and began to pace. He should have headed back sooner, he thought to himself. Sure, neither Arcee nor her human were mortally wounded but… No! What was he even thinking? Why should he care about what happens to a tiny fleshling? The only reason he saved him was to stay in the good graces of the Autobots. Of course mauling Miss 'Second in Command' was always a bonus. Starscream smiled to himself at the thought of Airachnid returning to the Nemesis damaged and having failed her mission. Megatron would not be pleased.

The human boy really did posses a certain amount of resilience though. He honestly hadn't expected a soft-shelled being to be able to withstand that amount of torture at the hands of a Decepticon. Although, Airachnid was well known for her uncanny ability to prolong her prey's life-span, unlike so many extortionists before her. An unexpected sensation of guilt returned in the back of his mind at the thought of both Arcee and her human being tormented for who know how long before he even realized there was trouble. And all for the trifling reason of divining his allegiance. Now that Megatron knew that he’d defended an Autobot it would be near impossible to return to the Nemesis, he thought to himself with a small amount of dismay.

Starscream paused a moment, struck by the surfacing realization of what had been there all along. That part of him did want to go back to the way things were with the Decepticons. Back when he had a semblance of respect. When he had power. He could put up with the ridicule, the beatings, and what he wouldn't give for status quo. At least he knew where he stood with the Decepticons.

He stopped pacing and stared at the ground. What even was status quo at this point? The Autobots had taken him in, despite his countless misdeeds against them. They had given him his wings back in an act of absolute trust. Arcee said it herself; he was free to go at that point. At any moment during his flight he could have contacted the Decepticons if he’d wanted to. Or he could have chosen to fly off to some remote corner of this world and gone into hiding until another opportunity presented itself. In the end though, he was invited to remain at the Autobots' side, perhaps with the chance to become more than just an enemy under probation.

The seeker sat heavily on his berth. There was just so much he wasn't sure of anymore. In the end, today only proved one thing for certain; something he hadn't considered even when his thoughts occasionally strayed back to his previous comrades.

Megatron wanted him back.


	9. Proposition

Airachnid squeezed her optics shut, her mouth twisting viciously as she clasped a servo over a wad of webbing on her shoulder. The makeshift gauze was stained an oily blue and a single trickle of energon found its way through the gaps in her digits. So this is what she got for following orders; a brief beating followed by the cold shoulder? Now she was forced to wait to give her full report until Megatron sent Knockout with several Vehicons to retrieve Breakdown from the site of their recent skirmish. The big lug couldn't even make it back to the Nemesis. Big help he turned out to be.

She looked down again at the scorch marks and dents that peppered her frame, each one rather insignificant on its own, but collectively they generated an overall burning sensation that made her want nothing more than to lay down and spend the next full week in recharge. It wasn't that she didn't know how to tend to her own wounds, she had been doing it for centuries while working alone, but Megatron had explicitly forbid her access to the Med-bay until Knockout brought Breakdown back. Punishment, she supposed, for her failure in retrieving his precious seeker.

The femme scowled to herself. Never mind that Starscream had practically refused to rejoin Megatron, but to outright go and join forces with the Autobots. She really didn’t see the point in getting him back. He could have divulged every scrap of Decepticon intelligence to the Autobots by now. Megatron may have his own thoughts on the matter, but in her own humble opinion, he was better off dead.

* * *

Arcee meandered through the halls of the Autobot base, content to let her mind drift as her legs took her wherever they saw fit. With each step she felt the area where her helm had smacked against the cliff face throb gently to remind her of Ratchet's orders to take it easy for the rest of the day. Honestly, those were orders that she was more than willing to carry out.

After a while her pace slowed and she realized that she’d ended up in front of the closed door to Starscream's chambers. The seeker had yet to emerge since he retreated there last night and only by Optimus' visit to him early this morning was she even sure that he was still present. She shifted restlessly from one foot to another in front of the closed door, having half a mind to keep walking, but for some reason she stayed rooted to the spot. It came to mind that her shuffling was probably quite audible from the other side of the door and she knew that she should make a decision before Starscream noticed her. Taking a deep intake of air she closed her optics and rapped gently on the door.

The door slid open and she found herself staring at the red Decepticon emblem on Starscream's chest. He looked down at her quizzically when she didn't say anything and she felt her circuits heating up in embarrassment as she fumbled for a reason for her being there.

"Oh, hi- Starscream. I was walking by and figured I'd stop in to tell you that Jack's going to be okay. It sounds like he's been sleeping ever since he and June got back home. According to her, that's a good sign that he's healing... I just thought that you might like to know," she finished a bit lamely, stopping herself before she had a chance to ramble further.

She thought she saw a visual relaxation in Starscream's shoulders at the news, but the reaction was fleeting. "That's good to hear," he responded, abandoning his brief show of relief for a more uncertain expression. He took a step back. "Do you want to stand in the doorway all day or what?"

Arcee blinked once in shock. He was inviting her in? She scolded herself for not expecting him to display such civility. It seemed he was full of surprises lately.

"So, ah… how's your head?" He asked after she entered the room.

"It's fine," she responded bringing up a servo to rub the area. "Ratchet fixed it up as best he could, but it's still a little sore. All things considered, it could have been a lot worse. Thank you," she said after a brief moment, "for coming through in the end."

He shrugged it off. "Breakdown and Airachnid were out looking for me in the first place. Megatron must be getting restless having me outside of his command. Besides, you freed my wings. I couldn't let such a gesture go overlooked." He said, looking her in the eye.

Arcee placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, so now you're modest. It's like you're afraid of admitting that you did a good deed for once." She dropped her gaze. "I wasn’t sure if you'd come back after you got the clamp off. If you had arrived a minute later, Jack could have..." She shook her head, not wanting to finish her thought. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you."

Starscream nodded, but didn't say anything in hopes of bringing this particular topic to a close.

After a moment of silence Arcee spoke again. "I heard from Optimus that you were having troubles with your comlink system."

He reached up a claw to tap at the side of his head. "Yes, it must have been malfunctioning," he lied. "I wasn't receiving any incoming calls all of last evening. It's curious though, it seems to be in perfect working condition now."

"You should get Ratchet to check on it. Comlinks are a vital part of working as a team. Come on," she said, already halfway out the door despite the seeker's numerous protests.

* * *

"Watch out!" a voice called out as the two entered the main room. Arcee and Starscream ducked out of the way and a blue pulsing beam narrowly passed overhead. The beam hit Bumblebee square in the chest, freezing him on the spot.

"Wha- Rachet, what's going on?" Arcee straightened up and looked to the medi-bot, who she now noticed held a thin forked staff in his servo.

"Just running a few tests on the Immobilizer here. Bumblebee has volunteered to help me determine the finer details of its operation," Ratchet said, visibly annoyed at the prospect of having his work interrupted.

"Immobilizer?" Starscream stepped forward to make a slow pass around the completely motionless scout. He prodded the Bumblebee’s shoulder experimentally, but there was no give. It was like touching an impeccably life like sculpture.

"I suppose you weren't present at the moment when we acquired it. It was the device that Airachnid recovered from the downed Decepticon vessel the day that we captured you," Ratchet exposited calmly.

Starscream bristled. "A weapon that could short out any piece of machinery was on that ship? If I had known that, I would have gone to retrieve it long before she even had the chance to get in close with Megatron," he scowled bitterly at the lost opportunity, then noticed the other two staring at him. He cleared his vocals. "But that's all in the past. No sense worrying about it now."

By the look on Ratchet's faceplate it was clear he didn't buy Starscream’s dismissal for one second, but he let it slide, motioning instead to some data on one of the monitors. "After some preliminary tests on various machinery, both Earth based and Cybertronian, I've determined that the device's effects are not permanent. It took the test subjects two to eight days to unfreeze, depending on its inner complexity. I'd estimate its effects on a Cybertronian of Bumblebee's size would last anywhere from two to four standard Earth weeks. Now obviously we don't want to wait that long for Bumblebee to come back into motion, but we can still gain valuable information from live subject testing." Ratchet picked up some cables and began to place sensors on various parts of Bumblebee’s chassis.

"You know, perhaps we could gain an even better knowledge of this device's workings if we were to put it to the ultimate test," Starscream said with slight deviousness.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, use it in the way it was originally intended, as a weapon." Starscream walked over to where Ratchet’s workbench and lifted the Immobilizer into his servos, examining it as he spoke. "I've been thinking, perhaps it would be a prudent course of action to board the Decepticon warship." He held up the long device near his face as if to aim it at a point on the far wall.

Ratchet scoffed. "And why on Earth would we do that? Isn't it enough that your mere presence spurred the recent attack on Arcee and Jack?"

The seeker winced slightly and looked briefly to where Arcee stood looking away from them both.

"And now you want to put the whole team in danger in the middle of the Decepticon warship?" The medic snatched back the Immobilizer.

"It's better than just sitting around and waiting for Megatron to rust over! Something which is the only plan I see you Autobots working towards."

Their argument was interrupted by the heavy footsteps of Optimus Prime with Bulkhead close behind.

"What seems to be the issue here?"

"Starscream wants us to all just march onto the Nemesis, outnumbered a hundred to one, and politely ask for Megatron's surrender," Ratchet explained exasperatedly.

"In all fairness, politely was not the word I had in mind," Starscream muttered.

Optimus let his optics drift from one bot to another, but said nothing. Eventually his vision settled on the statuesque Bumblebee and he cocked an eyebrow in Ratchet's direction.

"Oh, ah that was a little experiment Bumblebee and I were running when these two walked in. Here, let me just get that…" The medic hastily restored the yellow scout into a much relieved state of motion again where he bweeped a few tones of gratitude.

"Now then, Starscream, what is your reasoning behind such a grand proposal?" Optimus addressed him.

"In my opinion, right now seems like a golden opportunity to get the leg up on Megatron. I know every last ventilation shaft aboard that ship, Airachnid and Breakdown are injured, and witnessing the good Doctor's tests with the Immobilizer has inspired me to help make use of his little toy." Starscream thought to himself for a moment. "And I seem to recall a recent mission in which Breakdown was sent out to retrieve a Polarity Gauntlet and failed to return with it in hand. I can only assume that particular artifact is also in your possession?" The look exchanged between a few of the bots was all that he needed to confirm his theory.

"The Nemesis has long remained invisible to our scanners, and with its constant motion your prior knowledge would be useless in revealing its current location," Optimus brought up questioningly.

A smug smile split across the seeker's face. "Megatron will reveal its location to me when he hears what I have to offer him." Starscream paused for dramatic effect. "An Autobot prisoner and the location of the Autobot base! In return I'll ask that he accept me back on board, thus gaining access to the ship's coordinates."

Bulkhead laughed. "The location of our base? You've gotta be pullin' our gears! You've been here for what, a few weeks? I mean sure, you've done alright so far, but what you're asking us to do is to trust our only safe haven to the most conniving con of the bunch. Not to mention the whole 'give a prisoner to Megatron' thing."

"You're right that Starscream's history has built him a less than stellar reputation," Arcee spoke up and the seeker stiffened at her words. She continued, "which in this case will work to our advantage since Megatron will be led to believe that Starscream betrayed us in order to get in good with the Decepticons again."

"And what's to keep him from _actually_ turning us over to Megatron?" This time it was Ratchet who spoke, his bright blue optics piercing into Starscream's own.

The seeker motioned the thought away nonchalantly. "Not to worry, I still don't even know where in Primus' name your base is located. Megatron wouldn't be any wiser if I were to give him a fake location."

Ratchet looked like he was about to counter with another statement, but stopped himself as he considered Starscream's suggestion. "Fake location or not, Megatron will surely wish to survey whatever coordinates you provide before he comes to any sort of decision."

"Yes, but he'll likely send Soundwave to run a reconnaissance of the area rather than go scout it himself. In the meantime he'll be short yet another of his commanding officers and I can then send a private signal back here so your team can open a ground bridge to an unmanned portion of the ship. At this point it will be up to Optimus Prime to take out Megatron. I can lead him to a specific location on the ship if needed," he said confidently.

Bumblebee fired off a string of concerned tones at Optimus that roughly translated as asking if Optimus was willing to take out Megatron.

Scrap, Starscream had forgotten about the Autobot leader's curiously misplaced compassion. The former Decepticon pitched in. "This is a war isn't it? Sooner or later someone has to lose."

"Starscream's right in this instance. Not every enemy can be redeemed," Ratchet stated calmly. "You've been opposing Megatron for eons longer than you two ever worked together on Cybertron. Whatever ideals you once shared have long since been corrupted."

Optimus thought for a long moment, visibly conflicted at the notion of a concrete opportunity to put an end to Megatron's opposition."Neutralizing Megatron's forces is long overdue in this perpetual conflict. If possible, imprisonment followed by a trial would be the preferred course of action." His normally stoic expression fell slightly, "In the event that internment is impossible, I will do what is necessary to put an end to this war," he concluded before turning to Starscream. "What of you, Starscream? Are you truly willing to oppose your former allies, even going as far as to offline them if necessary?"

The seeker gave a little half bow. "I would be honored to aid your team in this mission. You should not be so concerned for my well being; it has been a long time since I've had any friends among the Decepticons."

A brief and awkward silence pervaded the room until Bulkhead spoke up, nodding his head towards the seeker. "Just so you know, there's no way I'm going to pretend to have let myself been captured by this scrawny little thing."

"Indeed," Optimus agreed. "For our ploy to be believable, Starscream will have to present one of our smaller soldiers to Megatron." Optimus surveyed the team before him with grave optics and Arcee shifted in place, well aware that she was the smallest and weakest as far as firepower was concerned. Before she could volunteer for the job though, she was cut off by a line of bweeps to her right. Bumblebee took a step forward with a determined look on his features.

"You're sure Bumblebee? This is an incredibly risky mission," Ratchet stressed. "One slip up and Megatron would have you at his mercy in the very heart of his warship."

The yellow scout nodded and pumped his fist as if to demonstrate just how committed he was.

Optimus nodded. "Very well then. We will begin preparing for Operation: Arrival to be put into action come tomorrow. Ratchet, finish up whatever last minute testing you wish to do on the Immobilizer and Polarity Gauntlet. We will need all of our resources to give us as much advantage as possible when we board the Nemesis. In the meantime, I'll contact Agent Fowler to request a suitable location to use as a decoy for our base coordinates."

* * *

With that the meeting was adjourned. Starscream hastily stepped to the side as Ratchet bustled past him in search for the necessary tools to finish his project, and the other bots likewise busied themselves with things that needed to be done before their mission the next day. No assignment having been given to him now that his plan was accepted, Starscream stood awkwardly in the middle of the room until he felt a slight tug on one of his servos. He looked down to see Arcee's small digits wrapped around his with her face upturned to his own bewildered features. She motioned with a nod of her head to one of the corridors leading from the room and Starscream followed her wordlessly past the other Autobots, relieved to escape from the ensuing commotion.

"Where are we going?" the seeker asked as he trailed behind her, easily keeping up with his long legs to the notable spring in her step.

"You'll see," she responded mischievously over her shoulder, earning a bemused look in return.

Starscream looked around as they passed several service and storage chambers, not remembering anything of particular interest at the end of this hallway. Wait a nanoclick; now he seemed to recall that there was some sort of automatic door at the end. It had always been disabled whenever he checked it, so he had disregarded it as unimportant early on. They arrived at the door and Arcee knelt down to a small keypad placed at human height and punched in a brief code. She rose to her feet as the metal doors beeped once and swept open to reveal a cargo elevator big enough for the two of them to stand comfortably. She motioned him inside the lift and they were soon being hoisted upwards by the clanking contraption; and although Starscream had never been this way before, he had a hunch of where it might be going.

"Here we are," Arcee announced needlessly as the elevator ground to a halt. The doors opened to fill the lift with a brilliant yellow light.

Starscream took a moment to let his optics adjust before he looked around in wonderment. "We were inside of a mesa the whole time? I guess I wasn't completely wrong in thinking we were underground."

"It used to be an old missile silo. Perfect for keeping prying frequencies from pinpointing its location. It's a bit desolate, but that's life when you have to hide from an entire planet." She brought the seeker out of the lift, past the small monument she had built in Cliffjumper's memory, and over to an area closer to the edge. "It can't be beat as far as watching the sky goes though." They sat looking out at the painted landscape before them, comfortable for a moment just to take it all in.

"It’s nice, but the sunset looks even more beautiful above the clouds," the seeker commented, casting a measured gaze on the scene. Upon noticing Arcee shift position slightly, he realized his statement was a bit tactless and added, "But uh, there's a certain quality of the light bouncing off the landscape that sets this apart as well."

Arcee chuckled at him. "Nice recovery." She returned her attention back out to nature's colorful display. "It's okay. I imagine it must be different living in such a confined space, rather than up in a huge battleship."

"Eh, it's not all that bad," Starscream said. "Even though I struggle to comprehend how so many of you Autobots can stand to be stranded on the ground, I am able to take comfort in the fact that I am no longer confined in such a way."

She shrugged. "I'm pretty happy with being a land vehicle myself, but I suppose it's all I've ever known." They both fell silent for a while before Arcee spoke up again. "Do you really want to go through with the plan tomorrow?"

He turned to her, surprised. "Of course. I'm the one who thought of it."

"No, I mean, were you telling the truth when you said that you were willing to betray the Decepticons like that? They were your teammates after all. You really can't blame us for being a bit skeptical. I could never imagine turning my back on a cause that I spent so long being believing in," she said pensively.

"They never trusted me anyway. I’ll only be proving them right by betraying them. I was a little surprised that Optimus even opted to hear out my plan, much less go along with it. Even in the midst of the Decepticons I've grown used to making and carrying out plans on my own."

"It just seems awfully sad," she ruminated, "not to have anyone but yourself. For a while I was on my own. After Tailgate went offline I didn't want anything to do with the other Autobots, so I spent all of my time on the battlefield, hoping it would distract me enough so that, for a moment, I could forget what I had lost. It didn't work though; all I was doing was hurting even more.”

“The Autobots have always been like a family to me,” she continued. “I know some bots see it as a sign of weakness, to depend on others. But that's something I've had to learn the hard way. It's something I'm still learning. That sometimes, a bot can't get by on their own." She hesitated. "Maybe… you could have a family too? If you'd like, I'm sure the rest of the team would be willing to consider…"

Starscream's optics widened. Previously content to just listen and occasionally nod in agreement, he suddenly jerked his head up, his wings folding together. "Wha-? I-I don't- That is…I don't think-"

Arcee cocked an optic ridge. "Wow, don't jump on it right away or anything. It was just a suggestion."

The seeker managed to compose himself. "It's not that. It's just kind of a big proposal to spring on me all at once. I don’t know if I could…" he trailed off before finishing the thought.

Arcee waited, looking out at the desert landscape until it became apparent that Starscream wasn’t going to continue. "I understand. It's hard to commit to change. You don't have to give me an answer right now, or ever if you don't want to. It was just a thought." She rose to her feet.

"We should be getting back inside. Lots of work to do before tomorrow." Without waiting to see if he followed, she started back to the lift. Her optics lingering for a moment on the neat pile of rocks that was now being engulfed in the shadows of the setting sun.


	10. Arrival

"Bwee-ep Weeoop bwoop?"

"Huh?" Starscream's stride faltered as he was dragged out of thought by Bumblebee’s question. His optics darted upwards as if surprised to see the barren landscape spread before them, he then turned his attention back to the locator device in his servo. "Oh, yes. This should be about good." Starscream checked their coordinates one final time to be sure and looked back up with a frown. Behind the two figures, a path of footprints cut across the dirt leading from a small range of mountains anchored several miles to the west. Apart from the foothills, nothing but scrubby, dust choked land stretched out in all directions. What few trees that dared attempt to take root in the arid soil stood sparse and twisted, offering next to no shelter for anything larger than the few obstinate lizards that took up residence in whatever shade they could find.

The seeker slowed to a halt and heard the steady pounding of footsteps behind him do the same. "If every bot were able to relax their limbs at their leisure, they wouldn't be called stasis cuffs now would they?" he replied flatly as Bumblebee complained. "Look on the bright side; at least they didn't make you wear a wing clamp."

Bumblebee responded with an exasperated tone, and Starscream heard the brief clamor of what he guessed were wrists shifting in the tight cuffs. A low whine finally caused Starscream to turn to face his companion, only to see the scout's optic ridges drawn ever so slightly in an anxious expression.

Starscream sighed. "Look, I know the cuffs are uncomfortable, but if you're to be my prisoner you're going to have to put up with them. You're clear on the plan right?" Bumblebee nodded in affirmation. "Then there should be nothing to worry about. As long as we play our parts, Optimus and his team will board the Nemesis as planned. When they do, I'll take advantage of the distraction to undo your stasis cuffs. If at any point I start shooting at you, keep in mind it's only to avoid arousing Megatron's suspicions and I promise to not hit any vital components."

Bumblebee beeped at him dubiously.

Starscream ignored this last statement and sent a short encrypted signal back to the Autobot base indicating that they were in position. "It'll be fine, Scout. My plan will work. Today will be a dark day for Megatron and his followers."

Taking in a steadying cycle of air, Starscream switched his comlink to what he knew to be a Nemesis hailing frequency for grounded troops. These channels were always being monitored by someone on board, so it shouldn't be long before…

A confirmatory tone met his audio receptors and Starscream couldn't help but smirk to himself. Megatron would have a pit of a time processing this one.

"This is Decepticon Air Commander Starscream to Nemesis, requesting a ground bridge."

* * *

"What do you mean 'Starscream is hailing the Nemesis'?" Megatron shouted.

The Vehicon standing before the towering warlord didn't so much as even flinch. "He contacted the ship via Frequency: 00324 requesting we bridge him up from the surface, Sir. He claims he has something that might interest you."

Megatron narrowed his optics. "He does, does he? Where is the transmission coming from?"

"I scanned the location, Sir. There seem to be no structures nor land formations that could mask enemy presence for miles around. There is one other thing though."

"What is it?"

"There is a second energy signature emanating from his location. Most likely Autobot."

Megatron eased back a bit to think. If this was a trap to get an Autobot spy on board the ship, it was a poor one at best. Starscream would know better than to attempt assassination in such an upfront manner. A more likely situation would be that he had some sort of deal in mind. At times like this, Megatron hated to admit his curiosity got the better of him. "Patch him through to me. Let's see what he believes to be a great enough prize to land him back in my good favor."

He turned to the screen of the nearby computer console as the Vehicon brought up the new window. Without giving the soldier a second glance, he motioned for it to leave the room.

A voice emanated from the console. "Megatron?"

"Starscream," he replied in a matter of fact.

"Thank the Allspark! I was starting to fear I'd be stuck in this wasteland forever."

"I wouldn't be counting myself fortunate just yet if I were you, Starscream. What do you want?"

"I am requesting permission to board, my liege. I feel that I have something you might find interesting, an Autobot prisoner!"

Megatron gave the computer a stern glare. "Spare me your peace offerings, Starscream. I know you want something in return, else you would not be contacting me so long after betraying my ranks."

"That is exactly the matter I wish to discuss. My only wish is to be permitted aboard your ship once more, Lord Megatron. I live to serve the Decepticon cause." The Decepticon leader could almost see his former second in command's smarmy bow through the audio waves themselves.

He let the com channel fall silent as he thought on the matter. He knew better than anyone that Starscream nearly always had ulterior motives. However, he found that they were often easy to prevent once found out. His thoughts were disrupted by a small information box appearing on the screen next to Starscream's current location. It seemed that during the call, Soundwave had analyzed the second energy signature and found it to match that of the Autobot scout, Bumblebee. It was a small bit of information, but enough to tip the scales. At the very least he would have no grounds to think he couldn't handle the mere two of them on board his own ship.

Megatron turned to Soundwave with a jerk of his head. "Bring them up."

* * *

Silence permeated the bridge. Silence that was filled only by the numerous machines and functions that comprised the ship around them, whirring in a constant drone that infused the atmosphere of the room. Punctuating the air were the steady keystrokes of Soundwave off on the far side of the room, more an extension of the ship than actually being part of present company. Megatron took his time to circle the two figures before him, servos clasped behind his back, each footfall sending reverberations up through the peds of those in attendance.

"Such a familiar scene," he sighed. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother entertaining the idea of keeping you around. So ambitious, you constantly veer off to execute whatever wondrous scheme you've recently contrived, only to return home like a wounded pet to its master. Perhaps that's why I find myself taking you in time and time again. I can always count on you to come crawling back to me."

Starscream ground his teeth, but somehow managed to twist his mouth into a smile as he dipped his head. "You are most gracious to allow me on your ship once again, Lord Megatron. It would be a dark day for any Decepticon to be cast from such a magnificent audience."

Bumblebee glanced nervously from one mech to another, each seeming to barely conceal a fiendish scowl behind their air of formality. He took a step back so as not to get between any potential crossfire, content to stay in his simple role as the bargaining chip.

"Cast out? No one asked you to leave, Starscream. Any feelings of dismissal that you may have felt were the sole result of your own rash assumptions. As I recall you allowed yourself to be captured by the Autobots, then made no move to regroup with the Decepticons when the opportunity was presented to you by my Second in Command, Airachnid."

Starscream's face gave a discernible twitch. "Yes, I noticed you wasted no time in filling my post. I'll have you know that it was her fault that the Autobots were able to capture me in the first place."

Megatron turned a stern eye on him, speaking sharply. "Your rank was in question before you even left. Did you really expect me to leave your position vacant while you were off willingly associating with my enemies?"

The seeker quickly corrected himself. "No, of course not. I understand that certain roles must be filled in order to maintain a running ship. But make no mistake my lord; I did not join with the Autobots out of choice. I did so only out of necessity. In the process I was able to make off with valuable intel, not to mention this parting gift." He reached back to where Bumblebee stood near his flank and yanked him forward and down by his cuffs. The yellow bot stumbled forward into a forced bow. "The scout they call Bumblebee."

"Delightful. Another _bug_ aboard my ship," Megatron sneered. "Please tell me the intelligence you gathered is more impressive than the capture of the youngest and least experienced of all the Autobots." Bumblebee shot a glare up at the towering leader.

Starscream hid his apprehension behind an uneasy chuckle. "Of course, my Lord. I acquired many useful pieces of information while I moved among them. For instance, I recall that you have long been searching for the location of the Autobot base."

"Forgive me if I seem less than impressed, but it is one thing to claim possession of, but another to deliver. Perhaps I could have Soundwave run a scan to see whether your coordinates even indicate a reasonable position."

"Please do," Starscream responded with a confidence that made Megatron scowl in return before motioning for Soundwave to input Starscream's coordinates.

The group stood in silence as Megatron joined Soundwave near the console. As though disappointed that the numbers seemed to bring up a feasible location, Megatron frowned at the screen. "It's a bit small isn't it?"

"Well, most of it lies underground," the seeker explained away. "Plus it's not like the Autobots have such a glorious army as yours to begin with."

"Hrm," he sounded, clearly unfazed by Starscream's resurging flattery. "Soundwave, I want you to survey the area. Run all of your scans to see if Starscream's words ring true. I shall remain here to keep an eye on our two guests."

The silent mech nodded and made his way from the room. Megatron watched him go with an air of detachment before returning his attention to his former second in command.

"I am curious on why only now were you able to 'escape' the Autobots. It was just over a solar cycle ago that Airachnid and Breakdown were deployed to bring you back. According to her, you fought to defend not only an Autobot, but one of their human pets as well. Although I am pleased that you were able to put up such a fight against the both of them, I'm sure you have an explanation for why you attacked your comrades in the first place."

The Decepticon leader took a few paces, his vocals adopting a note of mockery. "I suppose the Autobots developed a device that scrambled your logic circuits, or perhaps it was something as simple as your missiles misfiring."

"Your doubts are justified, Lord Megatron, but I urge you not to take everything Airachnid says at face value. She is as conniving as-"

"As who, Starscream?" Megatron challenged fiercely.

The seeker felt his spark leap in his chest. "I only wish for you to know the events as they actually happened so you may pass your own judgment."

Megatron cast a sideways look at him. "I’m sure your story is just as believable as hers. It's a pity Breakdown doesn't recall the bulk of the ordeal, because the only thing I can trust either you or Airachnid to do is to save your own chassis." Megatron gave him a hard stare. "You _wanted_ to join the Autobots, didn't you?" It was more of a statement than anything.

"No, I was out of options, I-"

Megatron took a step towards the seeker, if only to emphasize his towering stature. "Instead of returning to the Nemesis, you chose to remain. But now for some reason you're here having second thoughts."

"Never." Starscream shook his head furiously, back-peddling a few paces in hopes of achieving a more comfortable distance between them. "I only aided them enough to keep their suspicions at bay. I would never waver from your cause," he said, half-pleading.

"Not cut out to be an Autobot? Afraid of what will happen when you inevitably fall short of their lofty ideals? Now you crawl back to familiarity." He jabbed a razor sharp finger at the seeker's chest, leaving a small scratch on the surface.

"I made the Autobots trust me, Lord Megatron! I convinced them to let their guard down, and in return I made off with information invaluable to the Decepticon cause."

"You think I'm impressed? You got yourself captured, then you escaped like any halfway decent Decepticon would. There is no way the Autobots would think about taking you back after betraying their trust, and you couldn't possibly make it on your own. In all reality you're right back where you started, cowering at my feet, completely at my mercy."

"But-" Starscream began, searching frantically for anything that might turn the conversation around.

"And don't even try to tell me that your meager offerings of intel and this _bug_ should buy you back my favor. As your leader, I could order you to go out and collect the heads of every Autobot in the galaxy, and by the pits, you would do it else I would have your spark. Your prize means nothing to me." To make his point, he raised his fusion cannon so that it pointed at Bumblebee's chest and powered it up to a violent glow. The scout let out an alarmed tone, raising his servos nonthreateningly.

"Wait, wait!" A spark of panic flashed across Starscream's faceplate. "What you say is true, but to be rid of such a valuable resource now would be hasty. Don't you wish to interrogate him first?"

"And why would I need to do that?" Megatron scowled. "Did you not say that you already learned all of the Autobot's most guarded secrets?"

Starscream gave a small nervous laugh as he racked his processor for an answer that wouldn't get him thrown out of an airlock. "Well yes, but he could also be useful as a hostage. You and I both know how much of a soft spot Optimus has for his teammates."

Megatron stood still for a long moment, his fusion cannon still at the ready. "Perhaps you are right; this scout can yet be useful. You on the other hand..." His aim moved smoothly away from its first target, the barrel coming to rest directly in front of Starscream's spark chamber.

"What, no! What are you-?" Starscream's vocals jumped in his throat. "I can still be of use to you, I swear!"

"That remains to be seen. If there's one thing I've learned about you Starscream: for all your treachery, even during your rare moments of sincerity, you always perform best under pressure."

The seeker dropped to his knees. "What more do you want to know? Just name it, I can tell you!" Starscream begged, not looking up for a second even as Bumblebee stood waving his hands desperately off to Megatron's side, motioning the seeker not to spoil the plan. "What if it turns out that the location I gave you was slightly off? I could-"

"Was it?" the warlord snarled.

"No, no it wasn't! You have to believe me! I was just saying-" he pleaded to the floor, the back of his helm hot from the violet glow of the cannon.

A heavy ' _crash_ ' sounded from the other side of the room and both Megatron and Starscream whipped their heads up at the distraction. Out of instinct, the Decepticon leader swung his charged canon up to where Bumblebee stood wide-eyed over a piece of toppled computer equipment. Seeing a flash of purple, the scout quickly dropped to the floor as the blast took a decent sized chunk out of the wall behind him.

With a roar, Megatron turned his attention back to where Starscream was now scrambling back to his feet. The Decepticon raised his right arm, his blade switching out to replace his fusion cannon as the primary weapon.

A Vehicon's voice echoed over the loudspeaker system, echoing through the many hallways of the Decepticon warship. " _Alert! Alert! Autobots sighted onboard!"_


	11. Fall

" _Alert! Alert! Autobots sighted onboard!"_

Megatron, Starscream, and Bumblebee all halted in their tracks at the warning. Starscream's optics darted to the loudspeaker system, then back to where Megatron stood with his arm outstretched above him. He could almost see the knowledge dawn upon his master's war-torn face, the fact that events were happening aboard his ship that were beyond his assumed control. It was a brief moment of weakness, but it was the opportunity Starscream had been waiting for. He transformed his left arm into his blaster and without hesitation shot a series of blasts into what he knew to be a less armored area on the side of Megatron's knee joint.

Starscream heard Megatron yell in pain as he dropped to one knee, but the seeker didn't dare stop to survey the damage. He sprang to his feet and in a swift motion whipped out the key card to unlock Bumblebee's stasis cuffs. The scout let out a surprised tone as Starscream shoved him roughly towards the main door while he himself sprinted towards the second, smaller exit.

Megatron's head jerked up at the flash of yellow passing him. "The Autobot! How did he-?" he started. He knew exactly what had happened even before he got to his feet, looking just in time to see Starscream running for the door on the sub level of the bridge. "Starscream!" he roared, finally releasing the lingering charge in his fusion cannon. The searing ball of energy traveled fast, but not fast enough as the automatic door closed behind the seeker's heels, leaving a molten crater in the solid metal panel.

* * *

Arcee was the second one to run through the portal, the Polarity Gauntlet held firmly in her right servo. Their mission was to warp into a seldom used storage bay and remain undetected for as long as possible while Starscream led Megatron into an ambush. There was no denying that it was a risky plan, but Starscream was right that it may be their best chance at taking Megatron down.

Ahead of her she could see Optimus Prime far in the distance, though he entered the ground bridge only seconds before her. That was the weird thing about inter-dimensional travel; things tended to get a bit strange during the in-between. With every step she could feel her velocity and the space around her changing to match their target of the warship. Warping into a moving object was always tricky unless you knew exactly how fast said object was traveling. In this case, Starscream had stealthily sent back the necessary numbers when he had managed to get aboard. If they didn't have the correct information they'd be-

Arcee hit the ground rolling.

Her world shifted sideways, then upside-down. The floor of the ship moved past her at speeds far greater than her own. She felt the Polarity Gauntlet fall from her grip as she tumbled head over heels, reaching out for anything to slow her momentum, but unable to find purchase without injuring herself. Eventually she collided with a wall. By that point she had slowed enough that the impact was a semi-controlled crash, but she could feel parts of her exterior plating stinging from scraping along the ground, and no doubt she had more than a few dents.

She allowed herself to lay there for a moment, more than a little dazed from the violent landing. Once her processor had stopped spinning she moved herself gingerly into a sitting position and looked around. Quite a ways up the long hallway from where she had arrived, she could see Optimus Prime pushing himself to his feet, obviously having just gone through a similar ordeal. She looked around a bit more noticing the absence of their third teammate.

"Bulkhead?" she called out quietly, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to herself.

Shouting could be heard, diverting her attention from searching for her teammate. Putting a steadying hand on the wall beside her, she staggered to her feet, shaking off the last of her vertigo. Three Decepticon soldiers were now harrying the Autobot leader, taking advantage of his disorientation while shouting out alarms for backup. Nevertheless the prime was holding his own, taking down his foes one by one. He looked over as Arcee ran up to him.

"Arcee, are you alright?"

Arcee arrived at his side, bringing out a blaster to help take down the nearest Vehicon. "What was Starscream thinking? This isn't the storage bay!"

Optimus shifted his position and they easily entered into a back to back fighting stance. "Perhaps he was mistaken with the calculations that he transmitted to Ratchet. It is possible he does not have this ship memorized as well as he claimed to."

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised," she replied, recalling the seeker's penchant for bragging. "So if we're here, do you have any idea where Bulkhead ended up?"

"Since the ground bridge portal's speed was not matched to that of the ship, it is reasonable to assume that he exited in a separate location further down." Optimus took advantage of a lull in the battle to open a com channel to base. "Ratchet, I believe there has been an error in the ground bridge coordinate calculations." He listened a moment to the silence that followed before trying again. "Ratchet, do you read me?" All that returned was the faint sound of static.

Arcee spoke up. "Optimus, more soldiers are coming, I suggest we find somewhere quieter and reorganize ourselves."

He nodded. "Agreed."

* * *

The seeker's rhythmic footfalls echoed through the back hallway as he ran, hardly breaking stride as he pushed past a lonely Vehicon who seemed to be at a complete loss for why the former Second in Command would be running down the hall. Starscream slowed his pace to round a corner. He would be coming up on a more populated section of the ship soon, and he would have to figure out what the safest course of action would be before then. There would surely have been a capture on sight order put above his head weeks ago, so blending in was strictly out of the question.

He could hear noises further down the hallway and he fell into a stealthy tiptoe in order to peek around the corner into the next corridor. "Scrap," he said in an undertone. It was bound to have happened sooner rather than later. A group of Vehicons, roughly eight by his quick estimate, was approaching his position. They would be on him in less than a cycle if he didn't move. He quickly back tracked and ducked into a side passageway, taking a few moments to cool his systems as he waited for them to pass.

"When I heard there was rat on board I should have guessed it was you." Starscream jumped as a low voice emanated from a point much closer to him than he would have liked.

He whipped his head around to see Breakdown struggling to make his way towards him. The large blue mech ran a steadying hand along the wall, doing his best to keep as much weight as possible off his right leg which he drug against the metal floor, creating an auditory nightmare with every step. Although the worst of the mech's wounds were patched up, his frame was still peppered with various scorch marks and scratches, mementos of his and Starscream's last encounter. Behind him, a trio of Vehicons marched dutifully.

"Breakdown," Starscream gave a weak smile as he inched to poke his head out into the hall that he had just come from. Upon seeing the troop of Vehicons marching ever closer he ducked back into his hiding spot, giving a quick one over of the approaching mech's physical condition. "You're looking…well, but shouldn't you be resting?"

_*Stomp, skreee…*_

"Heh, like I would stay squatting in the med-bay while there are Autobots on board." Breakdown winced, settling into a stance more suited to blocking Starscream in the off chance he tried slipping past him. He flexed his servo into a fist before swapping it out for his signature hammer. "My back is killin' me, but Megatron would have my actuator if I didn't do my part." With a grunt of pain, he forced himself into a headlong charge, intent on taking the seeker down.

Starscream's optics widened as he scrambled to turn around, flinging himself back out into the main hallway and out of Breakdown's path. Stumbling a little to regain his balance, Starscream found himself face to face with a crowd of stabilizing servos. His gaze panned up the figures in question, only to find himself staring down the barrels of eight Vehicon guns. He ducked as they fired, transforming his right forearm into his own blaster and firing several shots into the thick of their ranks. With satisfaction he saw two troopers drop to the ground, but his enthusiasm was short lived as a blast hit his shoulder from behind. He found himself reeling forward into the waiting arms of the Vehicon soldiers.

"Sorry 'bout that, but at least I didn't land you in a med-bay," Breakdown apologized, withdrawing his shoulder mounted cannon back into its housing.

Starscream pulled briefly against the several soldiers that held him before falling still. He looked the large mech in the eye with a small remorseful smile. "Breakdown, you and I both know that was nothing personal. Purely a product of moral quandaries."

The large mech narrowed his single optic with a frown. "Quandaries?"

Starscream continued. "I believe the both of us have been swept up in events as of late, forgetting where our true selves lie. Do you not remember who it was that came to your rescue when you were at the whim of the humans? I'll give you a hint; it wasn't Megatron. If it was up to him, you would have been spare parts in some human lab."

Breakdown remained silent for a moment, turning Starscream's words over in his head. "I think I see what you're getting at here. You want me to pay you back for rescuing me." He fell silent again and the Vehicons exchanged looks with each other, still holding fast to their prisoner.

The other Decepticon finally looked at him apologetically. "I appreciate the save back then; I really do. But I can't let you go… Sorry."

"What?" The seeker said disbelievingly. "After all I've done for you!"

Breakdown ignored him, instead bringing a finger up to the side of his head, activating his comlink. "Megatron, Breakdown here. I've apprehended Starscream. Caught him sneaking through the back halls on the starboard side." There was a pause as he listened. "Right. I'll bring him there," he finished.

The Vehicons shifted their grip on Starscream and he shot them a fierce look. "So, where are we headed?" he asked dryly.

The larger mech signaled him to be quiet. In the distance a steady noise of an engine could be heard approaching; by sounds of it, fast. Breakdown and several of the soldiers readied their weapons.

The sound grew closer and suddenly a yellow muscle car rounded the corner and the Decepticons opened fire. Weaving briefly through the shots, Bumblebee transformed and continued running towards them, returning fire. With an almighty leap, he threw himself into the still tender areas on Breakdown's side, causing the larger mech to crumple to the floor with a cry. The yellow scout began to make quick work of the remaining forces.

"My Lord, an Autobot has arrived as is trying to take back St- Ack!" Bumblebee sent a well-aimed shot to the head of one of the Vehicons holding onto Starscream, interrupting the call as the soldier fell off to the side. With his right arm now free, Starscream brought out his blaster and shot the second soldier off of him.

Bumblebee finished with the last few Decepticon soldiers and ran up to him, beeping.

"Yes, of course I'm okay. Took you long enough to find me," Starscream said haughtily.

Bumblebee bweeped a quick apology out of courtesy, following it up with a question.

"That was the plan, wasn't it? How about we just spend our time not getting shot at?" the seeker added and stalked off, leaving a very confused Bumblebee no option but to hurry after him.

* * *

Optimus Prime and Arcee stood with their backs to the side of a large storage container in a room several blocks away from where they had first arrived on the ship. A commotion could be heard distantly through one of the two doors, but at the moment the pair of Autobots were able to take the small moment of peace to regroup themselves. Arcee watched the doors while Optimus tried for a third time to get a call through to base; the latest attempt finally yielding a distorted, yet present response.

Ratchet's voice sounded in both Optimus and Arcee's comlink, half of his words were laced with static while the other half was downright unintelligible. "Opt _-ckssht_ , _sshp-_ rendezvoused with Star _-chssk -_ nd Bumblebee yet? I _-phshhst-_ detecting an unmanned stealth _-kshht-_ orbiti _-sskshh-_ airspace above our base."

"Ratchet, I am afraid your signal is having a hard time getting through the Nemesis' shielding." The Autobot leader commented, keeping a watchful eye on Arcee who was intent on taking out a Vehicon before it discovered their position while he himself concentrated on keeping hold of the patchy signal.

" _Chsh-_ 's not on your end; _-ffshkp-_ a stealth airc _khhpt_ -flying overhead." It was apparent that the medic had raised his voice, though it did little to come across any clearer."It's emitting brief bursts of _shc_ -scanning signals along with scrambling pulses. _Ishkktshptt-_ bypass several of the reg _-ssh-_ frequencies to _-grphhst-_ ough to you. _ffsp-_ has to be Soundwave."

Arcee finished taking down the unsuspecting Vehicon with a high kick to the back of the head and proceeded to drag it out of sight of the doorway. As she worked she added her voice to the conversation, making sure to keep her volume low. "That's not possible. Are you sure that it's not a military plane?"

" _kshhp-_ The aircraft is emitting electromagnetic radiat _-shkkt-_ 's penetrating straight through the base's walls." There was a flurry of static, rendering all but a few words of the following statement useless.

"I am afraid I did not catch that last part," Optimus said.

A moment of silence passed before Ratchet's voice returned slightly clearer than before. "I said _ssp_ -, even with the ground's relatively low conductivity, no _ffsh_ human aircraft should be able to sense the base so easily from 1,000 feet. A little too perfect of timing, don't you think?"

Arcee finished moving the limp Vehicon into a shadowed corner when a shout sounded from the doorway. She cursed and took up a more defensive stance in front of Optimus. "But how would Starscream get a hold of the base's coordinates? Every time we let him outside, it was through a ground bridge miles away," she reasoned, shooting a bit at the several Vehicons that ran in through the doorway. "The only way he could have gotten our coordinates would be if he hacked our computers or…"

She stopped dead on the spot, nearly getting a shot to the chest from a Vehicon who took this moment to try and breach their position. Optimus blasted it, causing its shot to hit the ceiling as it fell. The blue femme stared ahead of her, hardly noticing. "I gave him the coordinates," she said weakly.

"Arcee…" Optimus started.

"I brought him outside," she continued agitatedly with a veil of horror cast on her features. "Yesterday, after we finished discussing our plan to attack the Nemesis I brought Starscream up top. He must have taken the opportunity to get a reading on our coordinates." She brought a hand to her forehead, squeezing her optics shut. "I didn't think he would- Agh, how could I be so stupid!"

"Arcee, there is no sense in dwelling on that right now. The fact remains that we are here now." He returned to his com-conversation. "Ratchet, do not engage Soundwave on your own. Keep the base under lockdown. Arcee and I were separated from Bulkhead upon arrival and we have yet to regroup with Bumblebee or Starscream. It seems we arrived in a more heavily populated portion of the ship than anticipated. Can you bridge Arcee back to base while I locate the others?"

The femme protested. "Optimus, you can't stay here by yourself! It's too dangerous!"

Any response was interrupted by Ratchet's voice coming through the com once more. "I'm _-sshks-_ orry; it's all I can do to keep _-ckssk-_ signal going between us. I'm afraid that transferring anyone through a ground bridge - _isshp_ \- far too risky unless I can clear up this interference."

Optimus gave a small nod. "Stay safe, old friend. Notify me as soon as there are any new developments." He ended the call and turned to Arcee, who was being forced to put her objections on hold for the sake of keeping an increasing number of Vehicons at bay. "We can determine what happened after reuniting with the others. For now, I suggest we move to a more stable location."

* * *

Back on the ship's bridge, Megatron pressed a series of commands, opening a com-channel to his communications officer out in the field. Deep irritation was evident in his features. "Soundwave, finish whatever scans you are currently running and return to the ship. There has been an unpleasant development in regards to our guests."

A simple confirmatory tone sounded and the connection terminated. Megatron stayed at the console, keying in to another portion of the ship.

"Trooper, report! What's going on down there?" On the other end of the video feed, a Vehicon technician stood in another part of the ship, his demeanor clearly on edge as blaster fire could be heard in near proximity.

"Soldiers have reported spotting two Autobots in the vicinity of the equipment storage bays, and another near the secondary barracks. Starscream and the escaped Autobot prisoner have yet to be located again."

"Is Optimus Prime among the three that have been seen?" Megatron demanded angrily, his powerful servos gripping the edges of the keypad.

"Yes."

The Decepticon leader let out a brief growl. "Keep them contained. Shoot them down if you must. I will send additional support." He cut the transmission with a deep scowl as his mind returned to Starscream, full of resentment that he had fallen for the traitor's tricks. Taking a moment to ensure that his troops were being allocated properly throughout the ship, Megatron turned on his heel and made for the door. There were one or two bots in particular that he personally wanted to see out.

* * *

"Beeep beep b'breep?" Both Bumblebee and Starscream crept quietly through the halls of the Nemesis, moving as fast as they could without drawing unnecessary attention to themselves.

Starscream didn't answer the scout's question at first, instead taking time to rub at his arm where Breakdown had shot at him. There wasn't much of a visible mark, but he could still feel where he had been hit. After a moment, he replied. "Does it really matter? All we need to do is find Optimus Prime and lead him to Megatron, or- vice versa. From there on out it will be history in the making."

"B'b'woo eep," Bumblebee added insistently.

"Right, and if we see Arcee and Bulkhead along the way, the more the merrier," he agreed by principle. "But I just want you to be aware; they knew from the start that this was going to be a high risk mission. If it happens that we don't find them-"

There was an almighty crash and after exchanging a brief look, the two ran the remaining distance to the next corridor over to investigate.

A booming voice sounded from around the corner as they approached it. "Try to sneak up on me, huh? Well this is all I've got to say to that!" There was another crash and a limp Vehicon sailed past them, hitting the opposite wall and landing in a lifeless heap.

"Speaking of which…" Starscream muttered, as they arrived on the scene.

"Bee, Screamer, you missed all the fun!" Bulkhead greeted them jovially over the heads of several Decepticon soldiers, all of which were poised, ready to attack.

Bumblebee beeped in alarm, whipping out both his arm cannons and aiming them with the intent to aid his teammate. Bulkhead laughed. "Sorry bud, these guys won't be bothering us anytime soon." He retracted his wrecking ball weapon and gave the Decepticon nearest him a solid shove. The mech teetered for a second before clanging to the ground, completely frozen.

"Handy little thing, this Immobilizer," he said, holding it up to give it an appreciative look. "Never would'a thought a toothpick like this would be so useful."

Bumblebee warbled happily and ran over to the large green mech, giving pause upon seeing a small wound leaking energon on his side. He beeped concernedly, motioning to the gash.

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch. It'll take more than that to slow me down," he said with bravado before turning his attention to where Starscream was casting an attentive gaze down one of the halls. "And Starscream, what gives? I think you were messed in the head when you sent Ratchet the ground bridge specs. That was the roughest landing I've had in a long time. Bridged out alone and ended up in an area that was crawling with 'cons! Were you _trying_ to get us blown to pieces?"

The seeker jumped, tearing his attention away from the empty hallway. "What? No! I mean, it's possible that I was mistaken. Umm…"

"Uh, huh…" Bulkhead cocked an optic ridge, unconvinced.

"If you want to believe that I tried to sabotage the mission, a mission that _I_ planned by the way, by sending you Autobots into a hot zone on purpose, then go right ahead," Starscream argued defensively, his wings tilting back slightly. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder and both Bulkhead and Bumblebee attempted to follow his line of sight.

Bulkhead looked at him with concern, momentarily putting aside his doubts. "Are you okay? You seem kind of… jumpy."

The large bot waited a moment for Starscream to answer, casting a questioning look over at Bumblebee who merely shrugged. Suddenly, a swift movement caught his attention as the Immobilizer was wrenched violently from his servos.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Bulkhead demanded angrily, lurching forward.

Starscream ducked out from under the Autobot's attempts to get the device back, spinning 180 degrees to aim the Immobilizer up at a dark shape near the ceiling. There was a brief shriek and a form dropped to the ground with a heavy crash.

Bulkhead blinked bemusedly at Airachnid's frozen frame on the floor, her extra legs curled inward in a way that was reminiscent of the tiny spiders that Miko hated so much. He brought his gaze up from the floor to instead look at Starscream, who stood with the slightest hint of satisfaction on his faceplate at the sight of Airachnid's fallen form.

"Oh, I thought you were gonna…" Bulkhead brought up a servo to touch the back of his neck. "Ah, nice save," he finished with a short embarrassed chuckle.

Starscream shrugged, looking down absentmindedly at the device in his claws. The trio stood in a brief awkward silence, none of them particularly keen to speak further on what just happened. Bumblebee however shifted on the spot, impatient to find the rest of their group.

Bulkhead was the first to break the silence, his brow scrunched as he concentrated on something. "What's that sound?" he asked, looking around as if the source would be right in front of them. Bumblebee started to say something but Bulkhead shushed him. They both strained their audio receptors, while Starscream merely stood stock still, optics unfocused as the reverberations filled his head. It was a rhythmic pounding of metal on metal, a sound which over the years he had come to know and often dread, a single set of heavy footsteps hitting the floor and all too quickly approaching.

"Scream?" Bulkhead gave him a prodding shove.

Although the seeker didn't reply, the contact seemed to snap him out of his reverie. He turned his attention to one end of the hallway, where the footsteps were the loudest. He backed up a few paces, keeping his sight trained on the location as the noise grew closer. "Lord Megatron," he shouted suddenly down the otherwise deserted hall. The other two Autobots jumped at his outburst before motioning him to keep quiet. He continued backing up, avoiding their attempts to silence him. "I've brought the Autobots right to you! Delivered to your very ship!"

The space was quiet save for the footsteps. Starscream now stood several paces behind Bulkhead and Bumblebee, the former who had turned around angrily at the seeker's last statements, looking as if he were ready to suppress him by force if necessary.

Before he got the chance, Megatron's powerful chest appeared around the corner, followed closely by his pointed peds, clenched fists and a seething predatory glare that would make the bravest of mechs cower in fear. The leader of the Decepticons locked optics with his former second in command, and in that split-second of raw hatred Starscream knew that Megatron was beyond reasoning. At this point he would love nothing more that to send the seeker to the Pit, even if it meant dragging him down there himself. With an enraged cry, Megatron broke into a run.

Starscream's eyes widened and he scrambled into motion, turning clumsily on his heel in a hasty retreat. Taking a running start, he launched himself transforming into the air and rocketed down the corridor in jet mode.

Bumblebee called after him, concerned that they were splitting up again. "Bee, I think we have bigger problems here!" Bulkhead shouted in alarm before Megatron barreled into the two Autobots, easily knocking them both to the side. Following Starscream's lead he transformed into his aerial mode as well, sending the two Autobots reeling in the wake of his afterburners.

* * *

"Ratchet, what is the situation back at base?"

The Autobot medic's voice replied back, now free of white-noise. "The good news is that Soundwave has departed the airspace above our base, taking with him whatever interference he was subjecting upon us. However, the only logical reason that he would have departed is that he has been alerted to your activities aboard the Nemesis and been called back. Have you run into any trouble?"

"There has been about as much resistance as could be expected, and we have yet to reunite with any of the others. All attempts to contact them have been disrupted."

Disapproval could be heard in the doctor's voice. "I don't like the sound of things up there, Optimus. I suggest you locate the rest of our team then com me with your coordinates. Nothing good can come of this mission."

"Noted. I will stay in contact." The prime ended the communication and turned to watch Arcee who paced back and forth restlessly near the open doorway, clearly distressed. Once and while she poked her head out to see if anyone was coming. He addressed her after a moment of scrutiny. "We should continue to locate the others."

She stopped pacing, but continued to shift in place. "If Starscream hasn't already handed them over to Megatron," she said bitterly. "It was probably his plan all along to get us separated and captured so he could get back in with the Decepticons."

"Arcee, do not be so hasty to assume Starscream's intentions," he admonished. "We have not yet asked what his side of the story is."

"What are you trying to say? That you're certain he had good intentions? I'm sure that he's _so_ sorry for betraying us to his old team, but his spark was in the right place," she said with more than a hint of sarcasm. "How do we know that he didn't con us into letting him hand Bumblebee over to Megatron on a silver platter? Maybe he sold out Bulkhead too! The only bot he cares about is himself. Even after all we've done for him, we're nothing more than a blip on his radar!" she blurted out vehemently. A few seconds later she dropped her gaze to the floor, embarrassed at her outburst. "Sorry… I'm just trying to understand," she said quietly.

Optimus regarded her briefly with saddened optics, allowing himself a moment of reminiscence. "You underestimate the immense power of coercion that Megatron is able to hold over his followers, both through fear and otherwise. What you say may be true. Perhaps it was foolish to ever believe that Starscream could leave the Decepticon cause. It is possible that Starscream felt he had no other option than to reveal the location of our base, or possibly it was his intent all along. We cannot be certain what his reasoning is, but I feel that it is crucial that we remain open to the fact that he may still wish to be on our side."

Arcee reflected for a moment on what Optimus had said, sighing as she forced herself to stop going through every worst possible scenario in her head. Her processor still buzzed with betrayal, but at least for now she was able to keep any further comments to herself. An airy whine distracted her from her racing thoughts and both her and Optimus listened, trying to figure out what it was they were hearing. "What on Cybertron is that?" Arcee started to lean halfway out the door, but jerked back abruptly when a silver blur screamed past the doorway. A few moments later another one followed, occasionally clipping large gashes into the walls as it careened in pursuit.

"That was Starscream and Megatron!" She observed, hanging halfway into the hallway, staring down in the direction they had been headed.

"Arcee…" Optimus said warningly.

She shook her head. "I know it's stupid, but I have some questions that need to be answered. Like you said, we can't know for sure what happened until someone talks to him. I volunteer." Stepping out into the hallway, she folded into her motorcycle form and raced off.

_"One way or another I'm going to find out what's going on in that thick skull of his. And when I do he'd better have slagging good story."_

* * *

It took skill to maneuver through the tight corners of the Nemesis. Starscream could remember millennia ago when he practiced for weeks on end flying through what some said to be impossible obstacle courses. Back then it was for bragging rights, and later a place at the head of Megatron's seeker armada. At present though, fear choked his engine and he found himself once again thankful for his natural talent in the air that was saving him from both crashing and being captured. Though he could still hear the roar of Megatron's engine burning after him like a beast intent on dragging him to the pit.

He pulled hard to the right, rocketing down what he knew to be a somewhat narrower passageway in hopes that Megatron's wider wingspan would prevent him from following. For a fleeting moment Starscream dared to believe that he had lost him in a space that was almost too confined even for him. Such thoughts were quickly quashed as the splitting screech of metal on metal reached the seeker's audio receptors. By the sounds of it, the Cybertronian jet had managed to follow his path regardless, his broad wingtips now periodically scraping the walls of hallways that were never meant to be flown through.

Starscream rounded off into one of the busier hallways and immediately saw a group of Vehicons turned to view the source of the engine noise. Before they could even draw their weapons Starscream sent one of his two larger missiles forward to clear the way. The hallway erupted in blinding orange waves of fire as the warhead hit its mark and Starscream could feel the searing heat wash over his wings as he flew through the cloud of fire. With a hasty precision, he pulled into a tight spin to avoid the burning wreckage of a transport container that halfway blocked his path. A few moments later he could hear the crash behind him of what he guessed was Megatron smashing straight through.

It was clear however, that the distance between them was growing. What actions that before took mere seconds to hear repeated behind him, now were distant and delayed. The air was his element, and within the narrow confines of the ship, his slimmer physique gave him the advantage. The fact remained though, that this was still an enclosed space and he couldn't keep flying around in circles forever. Without an escape route, the only other outcome was to wait for Megatron to tire of chasing him and opt for more effective methods instead. If memory served him correctly however, there was a hatch not too far from his position.

The seeker jetted towards the location, throwing in a few extra turns in hopes of buying himself even a moment more before his would be destroyer could follow him to the exit. Thankfully when he finally arrived at the site the area was deserted, free of any odd straggling Vehicons. He reduced his speed and transformed into a sliding stop, sparing a second to make sure the Immobilizer was still intact before hurrying over to the exit hatch.

The door was a manual one, installed in case the ship's power ever went out and jammed the standard automatic ports. Starscream braced himself against the protruding bar and put his weight into sliding the panel past the jagged corrosion that years of neglect had brought. With a final shove, he locked the door into an open position before he heard the deafening whine of Megatron's alt-mode careen around the corner.

As soon as he was within range, Megatron launched a blinding violet blast from his fusion cannon, causing Starscream to leap back from the opening in the wall to avoid being shot. The Decepticon leader took the moment to transform and land with a floor-shaking thud.

Starscream edged a step closer to the doorway, shifting his glance nervously between it and the approaching threat. "Running away again, Starscream?" Megatron shot at him again, walking slowly forward. The seeker stood almost frozen to the spot, only moving to flinch from the shots of Megatron's fusion cannon. "Not only are you a traitor, but a fool! Returning here truly was your worst mistake. I let you live to betray me more times than you deserved. Today you will not be so lucky!" Megatron roared, extending his blade as he charged forward with full intent on ending his former first lieutenant's life once and for all.

There was a flash of blue and Megatron's body froze in mid lunge, the beam having caught him square in the chest. Acting primarily on instinct, Starscream had activated the nearly forgotten Immobilizer in his hands. He dodged out the way as the Decepticon leader fell at his feet with a heavy crash. Silence settled between them, save for the wind gusting through the open port.

Time passed. First a second, then ten and Starscream's processor slowly allowed his half-open mouth to form first a smile, then a disbelieving chuckle. "Heh. Hahaha!" He doubled over in a fit of relieved laughter. "Oh how the mighty have fallen, Megatron! Let me live?" He straightened up and faked wiping a tear from an optic with one of his long claws. "Haha, if only you could see yourself to appreciate how the tables have turned!" His laughter subsided, but the smirk remained. "In fact, like you were saying before. I'd be crazy to let you remain on _my_ ship, functional or otherwise." Starscream stooped to rotate Megatron's stiff chassis into a better position, dragging it to the edge of the doorway. Straitening up again, he placed one heel on his master's body and gave it one final shove over the precipice and into the skies below.

Starscream watched with satisfaction as Megatron's frozen form tumbled from the opening of the airlock. As the figure fell head over heels, Starscream had half a mind to whip out his gun and get a few pot shots in at the falling target, but before long Megatron had disappeared into a thick bank of clouds.

He watched for a few nanoclicks more, his processor starting to come down off of whatever the Cybertronian equivalent of adrenaline was. With his foe out of sight, the seeker took a moment to survey the atmosphere below, half-expecting Megatron's aerial form to burst back through the layer of clouds. He shook himself slightly, trying to get such uneasy thoughts out of his head and stepped back from the opening to close the door behind him.

Now that the wind closed off from his audio receptors he could hear the steady drone of an engine approaching his position, and within moments a familiar blue figure screeched around the corner, leaping into a mid-motion transformation.

"Starscream!"

"What the-?" He hissed in pain as a precise blast hit the back of his hands, knocking the Immobilizer from his grasp. Shaking out his stinging servo, he brought his head up to see Arcee flowing gracefully to a stop, her optics narrowed in a fierce glare down the barrel of her still drawn gun.

"Arcee-!"

"Why do you keep making this so hard?" She demanded, cutting him off before he could speak further. She raised her head from the sights to see him better, but her weapon remained trained on him.

"I don't understand what you're-"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! You could have been part of the team, but instead you squandered it. We took you in when you had nowhere else to go. In return you gave away our position, took advantage of our generosity, betrayed my- _our_ trust." Her expression remained hard as she spoke, but the minute waver in her voice served to betray her shaken emotions. Starscream remained silent, his expression neutral as he registered her words.

She continued, gesturing slightly with her right servo as her left arm blaster remained pointed at him. "I thought that something like this would happen. From the very beginning I never wanted to keep you in the base. I didn't care what happened to you, just so long as you were gone! But in the end I agreed to give you a chance. I _wanted_ you to prove me wrong; to make me believe that you weren't the murderous, backstabbing 'con that everyone thought you were. And for a moment it seemed like you might succeed. Just tell me, were you planning to sell us out all along, or did you simply jump at the chance to stab us in the back?" she asked vehemently.

Starscream flinched at her words, any pleasure he was experiencing from a minute ago was long gone in the wake of Arcee's tirade. As if he should have to let her chew him out like this. He just took out Megaton. Megatron! The bane of his existence for the past several thousand stellar cycles was gone, and all she was concerned about was the position of her team's 'secret base'. She didn't have the faintest idea the slag he'd been through only to have a gun pointed at his face. He didn't deserve this! Then again, neither did she.

"Say something!"

He remained silent, for once having to come to terms with being at a loss for words. Thankfully the echo of multiple sets of footsteps could be heard approaching their position, saving him from having to respond. Arcee turned her head just in time to see Knockout arriving with a platoon of Vehicons close behind.

There was a sound of weapons being activated beside her and the femme jumped, whipping her attention back to Starscream, convinced that she was about to be his new target. Rather than at her, she was surprised to see his spiked red and black arm cannons trained at the newly arrived doctor. A flurry of clicks and whirrs signaled that the many Vehicon soldiers were returning the favor. Reluctantly, Arcee shifted her aim from Starscream to Knockout, who seemed altogether unconcerned with the whole ordeal. Instead he stood calmly, leaning on his trademark electrical staff while his small army flanked him on either side.

"Knockout to Megatron, I have Starscream and the little two-wheeled Autobot cornered. I await your arrival," he reported casually into his comlink.

A period of silence followed and Arcee's optics darted between the two evils, her mind obviously still torn on where she should be pointing her guns. The heat of her and Starscream's argument still lingered in her frame, fueling her resentment that the piece of scrap standing beside her was her only hope at walking out of this online.

After a few moments Knockout tried his comlink again, wearing a slightly puzzled expression. "Uh, Lord Megatron, do you copy?" He waited a beat with no answer and muttered, "I swear he ignores me on purpose sometimes."

"I believe our liege is otherwise occupied at the moment," Starscream informed pleasantly.

"Oh?" The red mech cocked an optic ridge, easing back slightly.

"Your devotion is commendable certainly, but your master is a bit… How shall I put it? … _absent_ at the moment."

"Vague as ever, huh Starscream?" he quipped, apparently content with having two sets of guns pointed on him. "If you're suggesting that I should be reevaluating my life choices right about now, you'd best be looking elsewhere. See, it's not a question of what I want, it's what our illustrious Lord Megatron wants," he said smoothly. "While you obviously take some perverse joy in egging on a slow and painful death, I on the other hand wish to keep my spark intact."

Starscream shook his head. "That's just the thing, isn't it? You've misinterpreted the situation; though I hardly blame you for being ill-informed." He shifted so that both his blasters' were turned to aim at Arcee instead.

Without skipping a beat, Arcee returned the favor with her left arm gun, leaving her right still trained on Knockout. "What are you talking about?" She said, looking daggers at Starscream; clearly wanting nothing more than to shoot him on the spot.

Starscream put on his best sympathetic face. "Tragically, Megatron is no longer with us," he sighed, shaking his head sadly.

"Come again?" Knockout cocked his head with a raised optic ridge.

"I'm afraid that the Autobot infestation got to him while I was distracted by the escape of our most recent prisoner," he gestured at Arcee with the end of his gun.

"Liar!" she spat.

"Was that not the purpose of our little infiltration in the first place?" he responded genuinely.

Arcee merely glared at him.

"Hmm…" Knockout's dark optics surveyed Starscream thoughtfully, though he did not motion for the Vehicons to lower their weapons. It was clear that without someone higher up around to give the order, he was debating if going through the trouble of apprehending the seeker was really worth it.

Starscream watched Knockout's thought process carefully, smiling to himself while Arcee took a step back, apprehensively noting the silent exchange that was happening between the two Decepticons. Starscream reached out and grabbed her roughly, managing to wrench both of her arms behind her back before she had time to fire a shot.

Not too far off she heard the approach of her teammates. The familiar gait of their running footsteps echoed down the halls, and it dawned on her that Starscream was intending to hold her hostage."Let go!" She said between clenched teeth, twisting violently against his grasp.

"Not a chance," he muttered, bringing her in closer so that she was positioned in front of him. He managed to shift her wrists into the grip of a single servo while the other returned to gun form and pressed itself against the side of her head. "You made the mistake of standing too close to a Decepticon, now you pay the price."

The three Autobots arrived on the scene, drawing their guns on Knockout and his small platoon of Vehicons who returned the favor. Optimus drew up a hand, motioning for his team to hold fire when he saw Starscream holding Arcee tight in his grip.

"Optimus Prime," Starscream called out. "Come to revel in the chaos caused by beheading the Decepticon faction?"

"Starscream, release her." The Autobot leader commanded.

"Or what? You'll silence me like you so cruelly ended our master's life? You who preach of equality and peace, while persecuting all who stand in your path." He spoke, directing his voice to both the group of Autobots and the crowd of Vehicons standing between them. "I for one will not stand idly by as you end our master's legacy. Even if I must take up my position of second in command to help guide the Decepticons down the path that Megatron has forged, I will not allow you to snuff our cause." Starscream grew quiet and panned his gaze across the group of soldiers, pleased to see that several of them were starting to share glances with those close to them.

Arcee shifted slightly in his grasp. " _Starscream_ ," she whispered. The seeker didn't respond, finding himself too absorbed on the events taking place to pay her any attention. " _Starscream_!" She whispered more fiercely, taking advantage of the fact that the Vehicon soldiers were too busy muttering amongst themselves to notice. He glanced down at her as she stared straight ahead in an effort to keep their conversation unnoticed. Her expression was oddly calm for having his blaster still pressed firmly against her helm.

She spoke in a hushed voice. "Look at our position. We could ambush them." Through her tone remained steady, the seeker could detect the slightest vibe of desperation in her words. "Look at the way Knockout and his team are positioned right in the middle of our two groups. If all five of us attacked, we could take them out." She felt his grip tighten ever so slightly and she chanced a look up at his face. His mouth was drawn into a thin line as he stared grimly ahead at what she was referring to. She went on. "It's not too late to fix this. We're not like the Decepticons. You can have a second chance. We took you in before when you had nowhere else to go. Act with us now and you can have that again."

A twitch pulled at the corner of his mouth, his mind clearly racing. Different scenarios, different outcomes, so many bad endings avoided by sheer luck and still more to account for.

His face contorted into a grimace and Arcee felt his chassis move against hers, the vibration of his commanding cry echoing against her frame. The wrong command. Words she didn't want to hear.

"Knockout, fire! Fire on the Autobots!" Starscream screamed.

After one last second of hesitation, Knockout motioned to his cadre of Vehicons with a broad sweep of his staff. "Open fire!" With the two commanding officers having seemed to come to an agreement, the Decepticon soldiers sprang into action.

Starscream smiled in satisfaction as Vehicons surged forward at the Autobots, a wave of gratification washing over him. His joy was short lived however as a sharp elbow made contact with his abdomen. Arcee twisted in his grip, wrenching her arm free and stumbling forward past his hasty attempts to grab her again. Her feet pounded the floor as she got up speed and dropped to her knees in a slide under the body of a falling Vehicon. Its chassis hit the ground with a crash and she slid to a stop and rolled sideways to avoid being stepped on by several pairs of legs that were too busy to notice. Pushing herself up off the floor, she quickly deployed both arm blades in order to cut a path to rejoin her comrades.

Off to one side Knockout had Bumblebee cornered and clearly injured. Ducking into a clearing in the battle, Arcee made a running leap that landed herself on the Decepticon's back, throwing him off balance before he could administer the final stab with his electrical prod. With a grunt, the medic threw her to the side, but her goal was complete; Bumblebee had already managed to escape. She let off a weak three-shot salvo into Knockout's chest and ran to help her friend over to where their two teammates were holding their ground.

Optimus acknowledged her return and quickly sent out a call over his comlink. "Ratchet, we need a ground bridge. I am transmitting our current location."

Starscream stood where Arcee had left him on the outskirts of the waging battle. The commotion was beginning to draw the attention of additional Vehicons in the area, and more of the dark violet mechs were joining the battle every minute. His gaze came to rest on Arcee, who had managed to fight her way across the battle to where the rest of her team waited for her. He stared as she helped an injured Bumblebee take refuge behind his comrades. She turned as if feeling someone watching her to look back at him, her optics drilling right through his own with such hurt and anger that he couldn't break away.

He stood even when she raised one of her arm blasters towards him and the gleaming bolt of energy released. Never moving even as it came so close to his head that he could feel the warmth of it on his faceplate. Then the heat was receding, humming softly as it passed his right audio receptor in a fraction of a second. A strangled cry sounded from behind him, and he turned to see a Vehicon crumple to the floor. A bright flash of light caused him to look back to where Arcee stood, now with her back to him, half silhouetted against the blinding greenish blue glow.

_That light…_

"They're getting away!" one of the nameless soldiers shouted over the din. Starscream snapped back to his senses in time to see Bumblebee be the first to disappear into the portal.

_No, this was his chance._

He looked around franticly as Optimus motioned Bulkhead to head through next.

_They can't leave._

The seeker's optics settled on the device that had fallen from his grasp only minutes earlier.

_He would not let them escape._

Snatching it up quickly, he began to run forward, roughly shoving his way past his armed forces.

The big one was gone, and now the Prime signaled for Arcee to go through next while he followed. Starscream pushed the last Vehicon out of the way just as the femme entered the portal. Without a word, he fired the device and Optimus Prime halted, frozen in mid-stride. His body teetered forward, still being affected by its momentum, and crashed heavily to the floor, skidding to a stop several yards short of the portal.

"Optimus!" Arcee's voice could be head faintly over the roar of the ground bridge, muffled as if she were shouting from a great distance. "We have to go back!" She shouted to her comrades who were already gone. Starscream looked up to see her standing halfway through the portal, mouth parted slightly, her optics frantic as she looked at Optimus Prime laying inert on the floor some distance away. Several Vehicons were running towards the portal, still in hot pursuit with blasters drawn and ready to fire. She raised her right arm-gun, firing a clean shot at one of the soldiers standing between her and Optimus. The bolt made sharp contact with its head and it dropped to the ground. The other Vehicons opened fire and a blast clipped her left forearm as another whizzed past her helm. A third shot hit near her right shoulder and she clutched a hand to the area, allowing a small noise of pain escaping her lips despite herself.

She took a step back, further into the safety of the portal, further from Optimus. Her optics frantically surveyed the scene one last time. With a frustrated cry she turned away, and within moments her silhouette vanished along with the light from the ground bridge.

* * *

"Command- er, _Lord_ Starscream, we have moved Optimus Prime's body to cell unit twelve as per your orders. As of now he is still unresponsive."

"Good. See that the ship is brought into orbit for repairs. I don't want to be disturbed."

"Yes, sir." The Vehicon saluted, excusing himself from the room.

Starscream felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. Turning his back to the few crew members that had stayed behind to work the controls, he took in the view from the bridge of the ship. _His_ ship. The sun had long since disappeared past the horizon, but at their current altitude he could still catch glimpses of the ground through the patchy clouds. He could have been looking at a rusty scrap-yard for all he cared. Facing away from those still left in the room, his smirk grew to a grin, the enormity of what he had just accomplished finally overtaking his senses. He had done it. He won. After solar-cycles of scheming and waiting, he finally managed to realize his ambition.

Megatron could not have survived a fall from that height. Of course to be sure he would have to locate the crash site to make sure. There would be no leaving his fate to chance like after the space bridge explosion. His spark leapt in his chest at the thought of such unrestrained freedom. Finally he could be his own master, free from his lord's tyrannical reign. Free to walk the halls without the fear of being reproached.

He forced a laugh from his chest, trying to take in his glorious achievement. Megatron was gone and he was sure to triumph where his former leader had failed. Already he had the advantage with the location of the Autobot's only safe haven on the planet. And with Optimus Prime held captive in one of the ship's most secure holding cells, the Autobots were utterly vulnerable. Soon he would mobilize the troops and…

A pressure settled in his chest and his chuckling subsided, though he held onto his grimace of a smile, the reflection of which was just barely visible on the surface of the glass as they ascended past the highest layer of clouds. All those who opposed him would be...

The atmosphere outside started to thin and darken. Far below them, the horizon was starting to curve as they ascended into orbit. A few traces of orange flame licked at the glass.

It was all him now. He alone would…

Starscream stood at the bow of the bridge until the Earth was merely a crescent in the distance, surrounded by the bleak expanse of space that spread before him. Even after the last Vehicon left the room, Starscream remained, hands clasped behind his back, looking over all the emptiness that the stars had to offer.

Alone.

**Author's Note:**

> (Thanks for reading! There is now a sequel story called 'Decadence' that is currently being updated weekly.)


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